American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Education Mary M. Kirchhoff South African Chemical Institute Conference 29 November 2015
Green Chemistry in the Curriculum How can you introduce your students to green chemistry? Classroom Laboratories Topics Projects American Chemical Society 2
Education for a Sustainable Future Education for a sustainable future enables people to develop the knowledge, values, and skills to participate in decisions that will improve the quality of life now without damaging the planet for the future UNESC, 2002 American Chemical Society 3
Sustainability in the Chemical Industry National Research Council report Based on outcomes of workshop held in February 2005 Identifies eight grand challenges for sustainability in chemistry and chemical engineering Highlights research needs American Chemical Society 4
Challenges New chemical transformations Life cycle tools Toxicological fate and effect Chemicals from biomass Fuels from renewable resources Energy efficient technologies C 2 management Sustainability science literacy American Chemical Society 5
Sustainability Education Challenge Improve sustainability science literacy at all levels Research ffer professional development opportunities Integrate sustainability concepts into assessments and accreditations Incorporate sustainability concepts into curricula American Chemical Society 6
Professional Development Conferences Workshops Green Chemistry in Education Workshop (University of regon) Symposia at professional meetings Summer Schools (ACS and EU) American Chemical Society 7
2015 Summer School Green Chemistry and Sustainable Energy Colorado School of Mines Primary sponsorship by the ACS PRF 60 grad students and postdocs from the U.S., Canada, and Latin America American Chemical Society 8
Integrating Sustainability Concepts Approval/Accreditation ACS: The curriculum should expose students to the role of chemistry in contemporary societal and global issues, including areas such as sustainability and green chemistry. ABET: Students must attain the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context American Chemical Society 9
Incorporating Sustainability into Curricula Research Curriculum Textbooks, labs, exams Connect green chemistry with broader sustainability concepts Move beyond organic utreach American Chemical Society 10
Approaches Develop a new course Incorporate green chemistry concepts into existing courses Classroom Laboratory experiments Extracurricular activities Student Chapters/ChemClubs American Chemical Society 11
Chemistry in Context Connect basic chemistry concepts to sustainability General chemistry Energy: enthalpy, entropy, energy sources, renewable energy Reaction rates: stratospheric ozone depletion rganic chemistry Pharmaceutical examples American Chemical Society 12
General Chemistry Solids, liquids, and gases Atmospheric gases Phase diagrams Ionic compounds Mass balance Coordination complexes Transition metals American Chemical Society 13
Solids, Liquids, and Gases C 2 feedstock in polycarbonate synthesis Improved Zn catalyst yields faster reaction, uses milder reaction conditions Coates et al., Cornell University + C 2 50 0 C, 100 psi C 2 catalyst * * n catalyst = ipr N ipr Pri N Zn Ac Pri American Chemical Society 14
Phase Diagrams C 2 phase diagram Applications Decaffeinating coffee Dry cleaning American Chemical Society 15
Ionic Compounds: Ionic Liquids Advantages Very low volatility Variable composition (high design potential - can be tailored for many applications) Easily recycled Disadvantages Not necessarily innocuous Manufacture costs uncertain Ease of separation uncertain American Chemical Society 16
Coordination Complexes Chlorine-free wood pulp bleaching TAML catalysts activate hydrogen peroxide Eliminates formation of chlorinated organics Collins, Carnegie Mellon University Cat + X X H H N N Fe III N N _ Cat + = Li +, [Me 4 N] +, [Et 4 N] +, [PPh 4 ] + X = Cl, H, CH 3 American Chemical Society 17
General Chemistry Labs A Greener Approach for Measuring Colligative Properties Uses safer starting materials: stearic, lauric, myristic, and palmitic acids Many experiments use aromatic compounds Converts waste stream (fatty acid mixture) to soap, biodiesel, or wax McCarthy, S.M.; Gordon-Wylie, S.W. J. Chem. Educ. 2005, 82, 116. American Chemical Society 18
rganic Chemistry xidation Carbonyl chemistry Carbon-carbon bond formation Electrophilic aromatic substitution Multistep synthesis American Chemical Society 19
Carbonyl Chemistry Polycarbonate Synthesis: Phosgene process Phosgene is toxic, corrosive Requires large amount of CH 2 Cl 2 Polycarbonate contaminated with Cl impurities H H Cl Cl NaH * * n American Chemical Society 20
Carbonyl Chemistry Polycarbonate synthesis: Solid-state process Diphenylcarbonate synthesized without phosgene Eliminates use of CH 2 Cl 2 Higher-quality polycarbonates Komiya et al., Asahi Chemical Industry Co. H H + * n * American Chemical Society 21
rganic Labs Synthesis of hexyl benzoate Solid acid catalyst Microwave esterification H + H H + + H 2 American Chemical Society 22
rganic Labs Synthesis of 7-hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin Solid acid catalysis Simplifies separation H H Et H Amberlyst-15 American Chemical Society 23
Integrating Sustainability Concepts Educational resources Chemistry in the Community Chemistry in Context Journal of Chemical Education Green rganic Chemistry: Strategies, Tools, and Laboratory Experiments GEMs database GCEd Net American Chemical Society 24
utreach Science festivals National Chemistry Week Chemists Celebrate Earth Day Science cafés Museums American Chemical Society 25
Creative Future Teach chemistry as a creative science rather than a collection of facts to be memorized Chemists as molecular designers American Chemical Society 26
Creativity IQ scores rising, creativity quotient scores declining Poll of 1500 CEs identified creativity as the #1 skill for leadership competency American Chemical Society 27
Chemistry and Creativity Chemists need to understand that adding an environmental or sustainability layer over research is not a constraint on creativity but rather is a challenge to creativity. John Carberry, DuPont American Chemical Society 28
Industry s Role Include expertise in green chemistry/engineering in job ads Provide internships with a green chemistry/sustainability focus ffer speakers who can highlight greener products and processes American Chemical Society 29
Green Revolutions Past: agriculture Present: everything Green buildings, fuels, consumer products, TV shows Future: education Existing courses do not always reflect the current practice of chemistry Sustainability as a driver Connection to societal issues appeals to students American Chemical Society 30
Education for Sustainability Develop well-informed global citizens Create a cadre of chemists who can design greener products and processes Create awareness of the role of science and technology in solving global challenges American Chemical Society 31