Themed collection 2024 Green Chemistry Hot Articles

The Green Chemistry Commitment (GCC) was founded in 2013 to host a community of practice around green chemistry in higher education. 10 years later, the GCC empowers a worldwide community to use chemistry tools to create a sustainable planet.

This perspective provides the design, stability and unique properties regarding ionic liquid-stabilized metal oxoclusters and their application in catalysis, and also illustrates the future development of ionic liquid-stabilized metal oxoclusters.

This perspective showcases recent advances in amino acid synthesis from biomass through the chemocatalytic method.

This article reviews different types of covalent porous catalysts for eCO2RR, including their design principles, the latest progress and their structure–activity relationships reported in recent literature.

Recent advances in electroreductive upgradation of biomass to high-value chemicals and energy-intensive biofuels via various transformation routes are showcased.

Amongst all synthetic polymers used in the clothing industry, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the most widely used polyester, its fibres representing half the total PET global market (in comparison bottle PET being less than a third).

Strategies for building efficient electrocatalytic urea synthesis systems.

We reviewed the current oil-based and novel renewables pathways for the chemical synthesis of methionine and its hydroxy analogues. Their sustainability advantages and disadvantages were critically assessed.

Oxidative degradation of organoiridium waste by bleach enables quantitative iridium recovery without generating the highly inert metal. Based on that, we developed an ideal method for iridium recycling in academic-scale laboratories.

The validity of N₂ reduction experiments relies on control experiments with isotopically labelled ¹⁵N₂. Commercially obtained ¹⁵N₂ contains high amounts of ¹⁵NH₃ and other activated nitrogen species which are readily reduced to ¹⁵NH₃.

When producing PET the metal catalyst (typically Sb) remains in the polymer. This raises concerns as our food and the air we breathe is contaminated with PET microplastics. Here we report the production of metal-free PET using a small amount of DGO.

A new method for installing the B(Epin) boronic ester leads to stable, functionalized borylated aromatic products under near-neat conditions, thereby allowing for sustainable Suzuki-Miyaura couplings.

Comparison of classical dry reforming of methane (DRM) with DRM based on CO₂ plasma with post-plasma CH₄ injection.

A guide has been developed, highlighting various sustainability criteria of solvents used in the paints and coatings industry.

Trametes versicolor's laccase (LacTV) was efficient catalyst in HMF oxidation to FDCA. Its use in an enzymatic and photocatalytic cascade process permitted a 40-fold increase in FDCA productivity compared to traditional enzymatic batch systems.

A cellulose bioreactor with dual-scale directional channels and a porous inner wall is reported for the continuous catalytic conversion of polydatin into resveratrol, which can achieve a high conversion rate of 98.58% of resveratrol within 2 h.

We herein report a waste-minimized process for the synthesis of iodinated hexa-aryl borazines in different iodination patterns and amounts.

The structure of humins, a major side-product of carbohydrate biorefining, is complex and to a large extent unknown. A multitechnique characterization of an industrial humin provides new structural insights.

Green inspired synthesis of hexaaryl-substituted borazines.

This work reports the analysis of 59 commercially available polymers from 20 different polymer classes for thermal properties, macrostructure, molecular mass distribution, and inorganic and organic additives, highlighting the need to characterize research polymers prior to recycling studies.

The grand transition towards green pathways for chemical production, alongside ambitious climate policies, could achieve 90% reduction in climate change impacts by 2050, while fossil routes offer a reduction of 10% in the best case.

A novel approach utilizing the polymer-assisted grinding (POLAG) technique to facilitate the regioselective oxidative Heck coupling of aryl boronic acids with electronically unbiased olefins under solvent-free conditions was presented.

Herein, we demonstrate a solvent-free and cost-effective mechanochemical electrophilic thiocyanation of indoles and imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines and tandem double C–H activation leading to the formation of C-2 aryl and C-3 thiocyano indoles in a mixer-mill.

The upgrading of a benzyl-type alcohols was explored via an orthogonal tandem sequence comprised of a first oxidative step producing the corresponding aldehydes, and a subsequent reductive amination to achieve both secondary and tertiary amines.

Sustainable development of pharmaceuticals relies on the selection and integration of unified metrics and indicators. Herein, we present a standardized method to assess, report, and communicate environmental sustainability of development processes.

A hitherto unreported catalyst-free ring expansion reaction of tetrahydroisoquinolines with o-alkynylarylaldehydes for the construction of the dibenzo[b,d]azepine skeleton is described.

A new eco-friendly method was developed to synthesize rough surface, uniform particle size, and high heat-resistant fiber coating materials in water medium, achieving a remarkable enrichment capacity for trace pollutants in environmental water.

Five different M_w fractionated lignins were used to prepare five types of L-CQDs for general cell imaging and to clarify the effects of lignin M_w on the formation and properties of L-CQDs.

Ethanol-mediated reactive extraction is a green and simple process to simultaneously extract and functionalize lignin from wood. Ethoxy groups were incorporated in up to 40.8/100 Ar and the lignins were found suitable for adhesive formulations.

Three chemistry laboratories assess their 2019 carbon footprint. Purchases and energy are key emissions. Mitigation aims for a 40–50% global reduction by 2030, addressing all categories.

The stabilized amorphous Al₂O₃ phase stabilizes the Cu⁺ site through oxidation state control, thereby improving the selectivity and activity for the production of the C₂₊ product.

A novel copper-based biomass-carbon aerogel catalyst was prepared as a highly efficient and selective catalyst for maleimides reduction for the first time with excellent catalytic activity, chemo-selectivity, and recyclability.

This study thoroughly examines the role of mechanochemistry in organic synthesis by analysing the factors affecting the mechanochemical reduction process of unsaturated and oxidized compounds.