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Advisory board member Professor Sir Martyn Poliakoff wins Lord Lewis Prize

A picture of Martyn PoliakoffMartyn Poliakoff is well-known both for his academic work and for his incredibly popular series of Periodic Videos. His research bridges the interface of chemistry and engineering, making chemical processes more environmentally friendly, by replacing the solvents used in reactions with greener alternatives. This work will provide society with more sustainable ways to produce the chemicals that we need. His major contribution has been in the use of supercritical fluids (gases compressed until they are as dense as liquids), particularly supercritical carbon dioxide or steam, as solvents for chemical reactions involving hydrogen or oxygen with organic compounds. The Lord Lewis Prize, which is awarded every two years, is given for distinctive and distinguished chemical or scientific achievements, together with significant contributions to the development of science policy.

To read more about Professor Sir Martyn Poliakoff and the 2016 Lord Lewis Prize please click-through to the website.

Related content:
All 2016 Royal Society of Chemistry prize and award winners: http://rsc.li/awards-prizes-2016
Collection of articles published by prize and award winners: http://rsc.li/rscwinners2016-collection

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Green Chemistry Strategies for Drug Discovery

It is rapidly becoming clear that by incorporating green chemistry techniques earlier in drug development, pharmaceutical companies can greatly speed the production of a drug candidate.

Integrating green chemistry protocol into the drug discovery discipline is a relatively new phenomenon, as the scale at which chemists operate in drug discovery is smaller than in process and manufacturing chemistry.

Written by experts pioneering green chemistry efforts within their own institutions, Green Chemistry Strategies for Drug Discovery provides a practical guide illustrating to both academic and industrial labs how to implement greener process approaches for the greatest return on their investment, and without slowing down their science.

The Editors have taken a comprehensive approach to this emerging field, covering the entire drug discovery process from molecule conception, through synthesis, formulation and toxicology, with specific examples and case studies where green chemistry strategies have been implemented. They also address cutting-edge topics like biologics discovery, continuous processing and intellectual property.

Green Chemistry Strategies for Drug Discovery is the newest publication in the RSC Drug Discovery series. Further details on the content and scope of this book can be found on its Books Publishing page. If you like what you read, Green Chemistry Strategies for Drug Discovery is available now as a hardback from our Royal Society of Chemistry Bookshop. It is also in our 2015 eBook collection.

Front cover of "Green Chemistry for Drug Discovery"

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Recent HOT GC Articles

Check out the following HOT articles, these have all been made free to access for a limited time:

Recycling of rare earths from NdFeB magnets using a combined leaching/extraction system based on the acidity and thermomorphism of the ionic liquid [Hbet][Tf2N]
David Dupont and   Koen Binnemans
Green Chem., 2015,17, 2150-2163
DOI: 10.1039/C5GC00155B

Upgrading biogenic furans: blended C10–C12 platform chemicals via lyase-catalyzed carboligations and formation of novel C12 – choline chloride-based deep-eutectic-solvents Upgrading biogenic furans: blended C10–C12 platform chemicals via lyase-catalyzed carboligations and formation of novel C12 – choline chloride-based deep-eutectic-solvents
Joseph Donnelly, Christoph R. Müller, Lotte Wiermans, Christopher J. Chuck and Pablo Domínguez de María
Green Chem., 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C5GC00342C

From simple organobromides or olefins to highly value-added bromohydrins: a versatile performance of dimethyl sulfoxide
Song Song, Xiaoqiang Huang, Yu-Feng Liang, Conghui Tang, Xinwei Lia and Ning Jiao
Green Chem., 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C5GC00184F

Extraction and separation of neodymium and dysprosium from used NdFeB magnets: an application of ionic liquids in solvent extraction towards the recycling of magnets
Sofía Riaño and Koen Binnemans
Green Chem., 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C5GC00230C, Paper

Greening the global phosphorus cycle: how green chemistry can help achieve planetary P sustainability
Paul J. A. Withers, James J. Elser, Julian Hilton, Hisao Ohtake, Willem J. Schipper and Kimo C. van Dijk
Green Chem., 2015,17, 2087-2099
DOI: 10.1039/C4GC02445A, Perspective

Stimuli-responsive/rheoreversible hydraulic fracturing fluids as a greener alternative to support geothermal and fossil energy production Stimuli-responsive/rheoreversible hydraulic fracturing fluids as a greener alternative to support geothermal and fossil energy production
H. B. Jung, K. C. Carroll, S. Kabilan, D. J. Heldebrant, D. Hoyt, L. Zhong, T. Varga, S. Stephens, L. Adams, A. Bonneville, A. Kuprat and C. A. Fernandez
Green Chem., 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4GC01917B, Paper

Fluorine gas for life science syntheses: green metrics to assess selective direct fluorination for the synthesis of 2-fluoromalonate esters
Antal Harsanyi and Graham Sandford
Green Chem., 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C5GC00402K, Paper

Layered MoS2 nanoparticles on TiO2 nanotubes by a photocatalytic strategy for use as high-performance electrocatalysts in hydrogen evolution reactions
Chenhui Meng, Zhaoyue Liu, Tierui Zhang and Jin Zhai
Green Chem., 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C5GC00272A, Communication

Ionic liquid-stabilized nanoparticles as catalysts for the conversion of biomass
K. L. Luska, P. Migowski and W. Leitner
Green Chem., 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C5GC00231A, Critical Review


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Green Chemistry themed issue on Elemental Recovery and Sustainability now online

Issue 4 of Green Chemistry is a part themed issue on ‘Elemental Recovery and Sustainability focusing on how we can develop methods to ensure that elements are available for use by future generations through sustainable use and recovery.

The guest editors for this themed collection are James Clark (University of York, UK), Andrew Hunt (University of York, UK), Avtar Matharu (University of York, UK) and Alex King (Ames Labs, USA), read their editorial for free here.

The outside front cover of the issue features the Critical Review “Bio-derived materials as a green route for precious & critical metal recovery and re-use” by Jennifer R. Dodson, Helen L. Parker, Andrea Muñoz García, Alexandra Hicken, Kaana Asemave, Thomas J. Farmer, He He, James H. Clark and Andrew J. Hunt. In this article they give an overview of research in critical and precious metal recovery using biosorption, application to real-life wastes and uses of the metal-loaded materials.

The inside front cover of the issue features the Paper “Recycling of rare earths from NdFeB magnets using a combined leaching/extraction system based on the acidity and thermomorphism of the ionic liquid [Hbet][Tf2N]” by David Duponta and Koen Binnemans. In this article they describe how a new recycling process was developed to recover rare earths from roasted NdFeB magnets using the thermomorphic and acidic properties of the ionic liquid [Hbet][Tf2N] to achieve a combined leaching/extraction system.

These two articles are free to access until 15th May and there are also a number of open access articles within the issue:

Greening the global phosphorus cycle: how green chemistry can help achieve planetary P sustainability” by Paul J. A. Withers, James J. Elser, Julian Hilton, Hisao Ohtake, Willem J. Schipper and Kimo C. van Dijk.
Chameleon behaviour of iodine in recovering noble-metals from WEEE: towards sustainability and “zero” waste” by Angela Serpe, Americo Rigoldi, Claudia Marras, Flavia Artizzu, Maria Laura Mercuri and Paola Deplano.
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Sleeping sickness fly trap in a nutshell – GC article in Chemistry World

Written by Charlie Quigg

An international team of chemists has developed a green method for creating odour attractants to trap the insects that spread African sleeping sickness.

Sleeping sickness or African trypanosomiasis is transmitted by tsetse flies and is a threat to millions of people, and their livestock, across sub-Saharan Africa. Trapping these flies can reduce the number of sleeping sickness cases. Unfortunately, the odour attractants that draw the flies in are often prohibitively expensive – barring buffalo urine, which has unfortunate hygienic and olfactory detractions – limiting their use…

Tsetse flies feed on the blood of vertebrate animals © Image Quest Marine/Alamy

Interested to know more?

Read the full article by Charlie Quigg here

Read the research article in GC:

Synthesis of tsetse fly attractants from a cashew nut shell extract by isomerising metathesis

S. Baader, P.E. Podsiadly, D.J. Cole Hamilton and L.J. Goossen

Green Chem., 2014, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4GC01269K

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Driving towards success with biomass-derived petrol – GC article in Chemistry World

Chinese scientists have overcome previous limitations to generate high octane number petrol from biomass-derived γ-valerolactone (GVL), an organic compound that is already often blended in small amounts with petrol or diesel. Using an ionic liquid catalyst, the conversion churned out a 2,2,4-trimethylpentane-rich substance with an octane number of 95.4, the highest reported for biomass derived fuel.

GA

Process for converting GVL into high octane number petrol

Petrol, the liquid many of us use to run our cars, is typically obtained from fossil fuels. But, with energy demands rocketing, producing a renewable and sustainable alternative has become a challenge for many researchers…

Interested to know more?

Read the full article by Anisha Ratan in Chemistry World here…

Read the article in GC:

Conversion of biomass derived valerolactone into high octane number gasoline with an ionic liquid
Jiayu Xin, Dongxia Yan, Olubunmi Ayodele, Zhan Zhang, Xingmei Lu and Suojiang Zhang
Green Chem., 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4GC01792G

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Wool Keratin Solubility in Ionic Liquids

Wool waste from the manufacturing of textiles is a renewable source of the biopolymer, keratin. The cysteine building blocks of keratin give rise to hydrogen bonding and covalent disulfide bonds; thus, harsh conditions or toxic reagents are required for its processing in conventional solvents. Alternative media, such as ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents, have been investigated for the processing of cellulose and lignin. Polypeptide-based keratin from Merino wool, on the other hand, may be used to produce protein fiber, but is less widely studied. In this paper, ILs and deep eutectic solvents were evaluated for their ability to dissolve wool keratin, and the regenerated material was characterized.

The researchers discovered that the wool did not appreciably dissolve in any of the deep eutectic solvents tested. In contrast, ILs were effective solvents and the solubility of wool was enhanced by adding 2-mercaptoethanol as a reducing agent. Characterization data revealed that the structure of the regenerated wool was altered from the raw material by a loss of crystallinity. Breakdown of the protein into smaller, water-soluble fragments also occurred, but this material could not be separated from the ILs.

Dissolution and regeneration of wool keratin in ionic liquids
Azila Idris, R. Vijayaraghavan, Usman Ali Rana, A.F. Patti, and D. R. MacFarlane
Green Chem. 2014, 16, 2857.
DOI: 10.1039/C4GC00213J

Jenna Flogeras obtained her B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of New Brunswick (Fredericton), Canada. Currently a Ph.D. student at Memorial University of Newfoundland, she is excited to spend some time outside the laboratory this summer to explore Thailand and Southeast Asia.

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Green Chemistry issue 3 is now available to read online

Issue 3 of Green Chemistry is now available to read online.

Green Chemistry issue 3 outside front coverThe outside front cover this month (pictured left) features work by Javier Pérez-Ramírez and co-workers from Zurich, Switzerland. In their work they report how the Lewis-acid catalysed isomerisation of bio-oil derived glyocal over tin-based zeolites efficiently and sustainably produces glycolic acid and alykyl glycolates.

Read the full article:
A continuous process for glyoxal valorisation using tailored Lewis-acid zeolite catalysts
Pierre Y. Dapsens, Cecilia Mondelli, Bright T. Kusema, René Verel and Javier Pérez-Ramírez  
Green Chem., 2014, 16, 1176-1186, DOI: 10.1039/C3GC42353K


Green Chemistry issue 3 inside front coverThe inside front cover this month (pictured right) features work by Philip Jessop and co-workers from Ontario, Canada. In their work they focus on switchable-hydrophilicity solvents (SHS), which can switch reversibly between one form that is miscible with water and another that forms a biphasic mixture with water. They report new examples and compare them in terms of safety and environmental impact.

Read the full article:
Design and evaluation of switchable-hydrophilicity solvents
Jesse R. Vanderveen, Jeremy Durelle and Philip G. Jessop  
Green Chem., 2014, 16, 1187-1197, DOI: 10.1039/C3GC42164C

Both of these articles are free to access for 6 weeks!

Keep up-to-date with the latest content in Green Chemistry by registering for our free table of contents alerts.

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HOT papers in Green Chemistry

Here are the latest HOT papers published in Green Chemistry as recommended by the referees:

Installation of protected ammonia equivalents onto aromatic & heteroaromatic rings in water enabled by micellar catalysis
Nicholas A. Isley, Sebastian Dobarco and Bruce H. Lipshutz  
Green Chem., 2014, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/C3GC42188K


Design and evaluation of switchable-hydrophilicity solvents
Jesse R. Vanderveen, Jeremy Durelle and Philip G. Jessop  
Green Chem., 2014, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/C3GC42164C

 


Cleaving C–H bonds with hyperthermal H2: facile chemistry to cross-link organic molecules under low chemical- and energy-loads
Tomas Trebicky, Patrick Crewdson, Maxim Paliy, Igor Bello, Heng-Yong Nie, Zhi Zheng, Xiaoli Fan, Jun Yang, Elizabeth R. Gillies, Changyu Tang, Hao Liu, K. W. Wong and W. M. Lau  
Green Chem., 2014, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/C3GC41460D

 


Sustainable polyesters for powder coating applications from recycled PET, isosorbide and succinic acid
C. Gioia, M. Vannini, P. Marchese, A. Minesso, R. Cavalieri, M. Colonna and A. Celli  
Green Chem., 2014, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/C3GC42122H

 

All the papers listed above are free to access for the next 4 weeks!

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Synthesis by sunlight

Sustainable oxidation reactions can be performed with inexpensive and readily available photovoltaic cells

Scientists in the US are calling upon the synthetic organic chemistry community to stop ignoring electrochemistry and have shown the two fields can work together to perform more sustainable reactions. And, to make the union even greener, it’s all powered by sunlight.

When a compound is oxidised, another one is reduced. In electrochemical oxidations, chemoselectivity is based solely on the oxidation potential of the functional groups in solution. Chemical oxidants, on the other hand, can be designed to select for a particular functional group based on criteria like steric effects or chirality. But the metal oxidant often required for chemical redox reactions ultimately results in reagent waste.

Now, Kevin Moeller and his team at Washington University in St Louis, have shown that electrochemistry can be used to conduct chemical oxidations that consume only sunlight and produce only hydrogen as a reduction product…


Read the full article in Chemistry World»

Read the original journal article in Green Chemistry:
Sunlight, electrochemistry, and sustainable oxidation reactions
Bichlien H. Nguyen, Alison Redden and Kevin D. Moeller  
Green Chem., 2013, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/C3GC41650J

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