Green chemistry

Green chemistry, also called sustainable chemistry, is an area of chemistry and chemical engineering focused on the design of products and processes that minimize the use and generation of hazardous substances. Whereas environmental chemistry focuses on the effects of polluting chemicals on nature, green chemistry focuses on technological approaches to preventing pollution and reducing consumption of nonrenewable resources.

Green chemistry overlaps with all subdisciplines of chemistry but with a particular focus on chemical synthesis, process chemistry, and chemical engineering, in industrial applications. To a lesser extent, the principles of green chemistry also affect laboratory practices. The overarching goals of green chemistry—namely, more resource-efficient and inherently safer design of molecules, materials, products, and processes—can be pursued in a wide range of contexts.

History

Green chemistry emerged from a variety of existing ideas and research efforts (such as atom economy and catalysis) in the period leading up to the 1990s, in the context of increasing attention to problems of chemical pollution and resource depletion. The development of green chemistry in Europe and the United States was linked to a shift in environmental problem-solving strategies: a movement from command-and-control regulation and mandated reduction of industrial emissions at the "end of the pipe," toward the active prevention of pollution through the innovative design of production technologies themselves. The set of concepts now recognized as green chemistry coalesced in the mid- to late-1990s, along with broader adoption of the term (which prevailed over competing terms such as "clean" and "sustainable" chemistry).

Green Chemistry (journal)

Green Chemistry is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering every aspect of sustainable chemistry and its implementation in chemical engineering. It is published by the Royal Society of Chemistry and was established in 1999 by James Clark (University of York). Articles published in this journal are intended to be conceptually accessible to a wide audience. According to the Journal Citation Reports, the journal has a 2014 impact factor of 8.02.

Scope

This journal covers subjects relating to reducing the environmental impact of chemical substances and fuels by developing alternative and sustainable technologies that are non-toxic to living things and the environment, including:

Article types