- "Students are given the opportunity to assess chemical products and processes and design greener alternatives when appropriate."
- "Students understand and can evaluate the environmental, social, and health impacts of a chemical product over the life cycle of the product, from synthesis to disposal."
At the highest level of the ACS guidelines, students are expected to have a deeper understanding of and critical thinking skills around developing and designing greener chemical products and processes. This can include the various environmental, social and health aspects of a chemical product, in particular as it pertains to life cycle analysis.
GCTLC Library
Below are resources from the GCTLC library that are tagged with any of the following Green Chemistry Principles:
- #3 (Less Hazardous Chemical Syntheses)
- #4 (Design Safer Chemicals)
- #5 (Safer Solvents and Auxiliaries)
OR have been tagged with keyword "Life Cycle Assessment".
The variety of resources below should provide educators with numerous options to help tailor their lectures and courses with more green and sustainable chemistry content. However, if you have additional suggestions for resources, you can always submit them for inclusion in the GCTLC library, or you can post them in the forum "Green Chemistry Resources for Addressing the ACS Guidelines" on the GCTLC.
Stoichiometry: Reaction of Iron with Copper(II) Sulfate
Students use stoichiometry to deduce the appropriate equation for the reaction between solid metallic iron and a solution of copper(II) sulfate. This reaction produces solid metallic copper, which is precipitated as a finely divided red powder in a single displacement reaction. During the reaction, atoms from a solid metal exchange with different metal ions in a salt solution. The iron produced ...
Sustainable Chemistry Definition
The Expert Committee on Sustainable Chemistry (ECOSChem)—representing a broad set of constituencies has developed a clear and actionable definition for "sustainable chemistry" along with a set of criteria that may be adopted and adapted to different constituencies and decision contexts, including in policy, education, corporate, and investment decision making.
Synthesis of Naphthyl Butyl Ether
This is a laboratory experiment for Organic Chemistry for a greener SN2 reaction. The reaction uses a greener solvent and produces a benign product. It was published in J. Chem. Ed.
A Simple SN2 Reaction for the Undergraduate Organic Laboratory
John J. Esteb, John R. Magers, LuAnne McNulty, Paul Morgan, and Anne M. Wilson
Journal of Chemical Education 2009 86 (7), 850
DOI: 10.1021/ed086p850
Teaching green chemistry, sustainability ethics, and toxicity using nail polish removers
Ingredients in nail polish and polish removers are the primary causes of occupational health problems manicurists frequently face. Several key concepts of green chemistry can be taught to an undergraduate audience using nail polish removers as a case study. Students generated green profiles of various nail polish removers available on the market based on the 12 principles of green chemistry. This ...
The Discovery-Oriented Approach to Organic Chemistry. 7. Rearrangement of trans-Stilbene Oxide with Bismuth Trifluoromethanesulfonate and Other Metal Triflates. A Microscale Green Organic Chemistry Laboratory Experiment
It is well known that epoxides can undergo rearrangement to yield carbonyl compounds in the presence of a Lewis acid catalyst. Classically these catalysts have included a wide variety of compounds some of which are hazardous and harmful. The impetus for this experiment came from a previous lab taught by the authors in which toxic, corrosive boron trifluoride etherate was used to catalyze the ...
The Massive Problem of Microplastics
This article explores the significant environmental impact of microplastics, tiny plastic particles less than 5mm in size. These particles originate from larger plastic debris breaking down and microbeads from cosmetic products. Microplastics are pervasive in marine environments, posing threats to wildlife through ingestion and chemical contamination. The article highlights the urgent need for ...
The Olin Chemical Superfund Site Case Study
The Olin Chemical Superfund Site case study module consists of four lesson units and a classroom follow-up activity, designed to introduce students to the U.S. EPA’s Superfund Program and the history of the chemical industry. It also delves into the toxicology of chemicals released into the environment, while helping students explore green chemistry innovations that aim to eliminate the use of ...
The Reaction of Carbon Dioxide with Water
The experiment uses exhaled breath to explore the reaction between carbon dioxide and water. Students blow into a flask containing water and an indicator, causing a color change as carbon dioxide dissolves and forms carbonic acid, a weak acid. The experiment illustrates concepts of gas-liquid reactions, pH indicators, and the impact of carbon dioxide on water chemistry.
The safer chemical design game. Gamification of green chemistry and safer chemical design concepts for high school and undergraduate students
A green chemistry educational game was developed by the authors to engage undergraduate and advanced high school students in sustainability concerns while designing a hypothetical chemical product. This free game is suitable for any chemistry course that covers sustainability and the Principles of Green Chemistry, encouraging students to think like professional chemical designers. The computer ...
The Synthesis of N-Benzyl-2-azanorbornene via Aqueous Hetero Diels–Alder Reaction. An Undergraduate Project in Organic Synthesis and Structural Analysis
This lab demonstrates a pericyclic reaction that is popular in undergraduate texts, the Diels-Alder reaction, and does so in the context of using water as a safe, alternative solvent. Adapted from work published by Larsen and Grieco in 1985, this experiment makes use of the synthesis of N-benzyl-2-azanorbornene to present green chemistry to students. Not only is this very atom-economical reaction ...