Green Chemistry -An Overview

In chemistry, safety is usually thought of as an issue of chemical exposure; risk is managed through specialized training of personnel and use of protective equipment. There are problems with this approach from an economic standpoint and also in terms of human health and the environment when protections fail or the connections between exposures and harmful effects are not well understood, risk may be unintentionally maximized. Green chemistry offers a different approach. When hazard is considered as an inherent chemical property just as malleable to chemists as color, odor, or melting point, it becomes possible to design products and processes to reduced hazards. In other words, hazard is seen as a design flaw. When hazard is minimized, exposure levels become irrelevant and risk is permanently lower. Green chemists avoid risk tradeoffs by adhering to a set of principles that encompass the entire lifecycle of a chemical. Many innovative methods have been developed over the past several years that are effective, efficient and more environmentally benign. These approaches include new syntheses and processes as well as new tools for instructing aspiring chemists how to do chemistry in a more environmentally benign manner. The benefits to industry as well as the environment are all a part of the positive impact that Green Chemistry is having in the chemistry community and in society in general.