Green chemistry, as a revolution in the field of chemistry, aims to reduce or eliminate negative impacts on the environment by designing and implementing more environmentally friendly, efficient and sustainable chemical processes. At the heart of this philosophy is "atomic economy", which means that all raw materials are used as much as possible in chemical reactions and waste is reduced. With the global emphasis on sustainable development, the future development of green chemistry is particularly important.
The Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry provide us with guidelines for achieving sustainable chemical synthesis. These principles include the use of renewable feedstocks, increasing the utilization rate of atoms, designing safer chemicals, minimizing the use of safer solvents and additives, improving energy efficiency, using safer chemicals, designing degradable products, enabling real-time analysis of chemicals and products, reducing the use of derivatives, designing safer catalysts, designing safer chemical synthesis processes, minimizing the possibility of chemical accidents, and designing safer chemicals and products.
In the practice of green chemistry, atomic economics is key. For example, the traditional ammonia synthesis process (Haber-Bosch process) requires high temperature and high pressure conditions, while modern green chemistry research is exploring the electrochemical synthesis of ammonia (NH3) under mild conditions. The chemical equation for this process is:
N2(g) +3H2(G) 2NH3(G) + energy.
In this process, nitrogen (N2) and hydrogen (H2) are efficiently converted into ammonia through the electricity generated by electrolysis of water under the action of catalysts, which not only reduces energy consumption, but also avoids the safety hazards caused by high temperature and high pressure.
Green chemistry also emphasizes the use of renewable raw materials, such as biomass. For example, through biomass conversion technology, plant straw, lignin, etc. can be converted into biofuels and chemicals. The chemical equation for this process can be simplified as:
C6H10O5 (Biomass) + H2O 2C3H6O3 (Carbohydrates) + Energy Chemistry Formula Literature from.
In this process, biomass is converted into fermentable sugars through a hydrolysis reaction catalyzed by enzymes or acids, which in turn produces biofuels through the fermentation process.
In addition, green chemistry advocates the use of green solvents such as supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) and ionic liquids. These solvents can replace traditional organic solvents under certain conditions, reducing volatile organic compound (VOCs) emissions. For example, the application of supercritical CO2 in the extraction process:
Organics + CO2 (supercritical) Organics-CO2 complex.
In this process, supercritical CO2 acts as an extractant, which can efficiently extract the target compounds from the raw material while avoiding the use of organic solvents. Chemical formulas literature from:
The future development of green chemistry will pay more attention to interdisciplinary cooperation, combining knowledge in the fields of chemistry, biology, materials science, environmental science and other fields to develop more efficient and environmentally friendly chemical synthesis methods. For example, through the principle of biomimicry, a catalyst that simulates the biocatalytic process in nature is designed, or the microbial metabolic pathway is used to realize the biosynthesis of chemicals.
In short, the future development of green chemistry will be committed to realizing the green, efficient and intelligent chemical synthesis process. Through continuous technological innovation and concept updating, green chemistry will make greater contributions to the sustainable development of human society.