The expression "Green Chemistry" is used to describe chemical processes that take into consideration sustainable development and environmentally improved products, as well as other aspects to make the reaction "cleaner". In recent years, this principle has become very important, with "Green Catalysis" a major topic within this field.
Written by Roger A. Sheldon and his co-workers, this first book to focus on catalytic processes from the viewpoint of green chemistry presents every important aspect:

- Numerous catalytic reductions and oxidations methods
- Solid-acid and solid-base catalysis
- C-C bond formation reactions
- Biocatalysis
- Asymmetric catalysis
- Novel reaction media like e.g. ionic liquids, supercritical CO2
- Renewable raw materials.

The result is a unified, indispensable source for all scientists looking to improve their catalytic reactions, whether in the college or company lab.

All three authors are currently employed at the TU Delft. Their research is directed towards the development of atom-efficient, low-waste processes for the synthesis of high added value chemicals, such as pharmaceuticals and chiral intermediates. Within the framework of green chemistry the aim is to respond to the public need towards the 12 principles of green chemistry

Green Chemistry and Catalysis

By Roger Arthur Sheldon Isabel Arends Ulf Hanefeld

John Wiley & Sons

Copyright © 2007 Roger Arthur Sheldon
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-3-527-30715-9

Preface

The publication of books such as Silent Spring by Rachel Carson and The Closing Circle by Barry Commoner, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, focused attention on the negative side effects of industrial and economic growth on our natural environment. However, the resulting environmental movement was not fully endorsed by the chemical industry. It was the publication, two decades later in 1987, of the report Our Common Future by the World Commission on Environment and Development which marked a turning point in industrial and societal impact. The report emphasized that industrial development must be sustainable over time, that is it must meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable development has subsequently become a catch phrase of industry in the 21st century and the annual reports and mission statements of many corporations endorse the concept of sustainability.

At roughly the same time, in the early 1990s, the concept of green chemistry emerged. A workable definition is Green chemistry efficiently utilizes (preferably renewable) raw materials, eliminates waste and avoids the use of toxic and/or hazardous reagents and solvents in the manufacture and application of chemical products. On reflection it becomes abundantly clear that if sustainability is the goal of society in the 21st century then green chemistry is the means to achieve it, in the chemical industry at least. A key feature is that greenness and sustainability need to be included in designing the product and/or process from the outset (benign by design). The basic premise of this book is that a major driver towards green chemistry is the widespread application of clean, catalytic methodologies in the manufacture of chemicals, hence, its title: Green Chemistry and Catalysis.

The book is primarily aimed at researchers, in industry or academia, who are involved in developing processes for chemicals manufacture. It could also form the basis for an advanced undergraduate or post-graduate level course on green chemistry. Indeed, the material is used by the authors for this very purpose in Delft.

The main underlying theme is the application of catalytic methodologies - homogeneous, heterogeneous and enzymatic - to industrial organic synthesis. The material is divided based on the type of transformation rather than the type of catalyst. This provides for a comparison of the different methodologies, e.g. chemo- vs biocatalytic for achieving a particular conversion.

Chapter 1 gives an introduction to the overall theme of green chemistry and catalysis, emphasizing the importance of concepts such as atom efficiency and E factors (kg waste/kg product) for assessing the environmental impact or 'greenness' of a process. In this context, it is emphasized that it is not really a question of green vs not green but rather one of one process being greener than another, that is there are 'many shades of green'. Chapter 2 is concerned with replacing traditional acids and bases with solid recyclable ones, thereby dramatically reducing the amount of waste formed. Chapters 3 and 4 cover the application of catalytic methodologies to reductions and oxidations, two pivotal processes in organic synthesis.

Chapter 5 is concerned with C-C bond forming reactions and Chapter 6 with solvolytic processes, which mainly consist of enzyme-catalyzed transformations.

Chapter 7 addresses another key topic in the context of green chemistry: the replacement of traditional, environmentally unattractive organic solvents by greener alternative reaction media such as water, supercritical carbon dioxide, ionic liquids and perfluorous solvents. The use of liquid/liquid biphasic systems provides the additional benefit of facile catalyst recovery and recycling.

Another key topic - renewable resources - is addressed in Chapter 8. The utilization of fossil resources as sources of energy and chemical feedstocks is clearly unsustainable and needs to be replaced by the use of renewable biomass. Such a switch is also desirable for other reasons such as biocompatibility, biodegradability and lower toxicity of the products compared to their oil-derived counterparts. Here again, the application of chemo- and biocatalysis will play an important underlying role.

Chapter 9 is concerned with the integration of catalytic methodologies in organic synthesis and with downstream processing. The ultimate green process involves the integration of several catalytic steps into catalytic cascade processes, thus emulating the multi-enzyme processes which are occurring in the living cell. Chapter 10 consists of the Conclusions and Future Prospects.

The principal literature has been covered up to 2006 and an extensive list of references is included at the end of each chapter. The index has been thoroughly cross-referenced, and the reader is encouraged to seek the various topics under more than one entry.

Finally, we wish to acknowledge the important contribution of our colleague, Fred van Rantwijk, to writing Chapter 8.

Roger Sheldon Isabel Arends Ulf Hanefeld

Delft, November 2006

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