Green Chemistry Blog

It is with great sadness that we have learned that Professor Cinzia Chiappe, member of Green Chemistry Advisory Board, has passed away.

Cinzia Chiappe received Laurea (cum laude) and PhD degrees from the University of Pisa, Italy, in 1985 and 1989, respectively. After a two year period at the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection, she moved to the Department of Bioorganic Chemistry (University of Pisa) as a researcher. She was a Full Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Pisa since 2002.

Her primary research interests focused on the ionic liquids (ILs) chemistry and their application. Using the tools of physico-organic chemistry her research group was dedicated to obtain information on ILs and their physico-chemical and biological properties, often correlating experimental results with theoretical calculations. In this field, she has developed several projects that using these “designer solvents” as novel media and catalysts have allowed to develop new and more sustainable chemical processes affording a lot of new compounds and materials. The goal of her research work was to develop new classes of optimized ILs to apply as solvents and/or catalysts in real-world problems: in other words to provide more effective chemical reactions or to develop novel platforms for more efficient extractions, separations and, in general, energy-saving processes.

She has authored or co-authored over 210 peer-reviewed publications including some chapters in RSC- ACS- Wiley Monographs on Ionic Liquids. She has given more than 75 invited lectures at international conferences and academic/research institutions.

Professor Chiappe will be missed by the Green Chemistry board and the global ionic liquids community.