Green Chemistry Blog

Tropylium salts as efficient organic Lewis acid catalysts for acetalization and transacetalization reactions in batch and flow

As featured on the front cover of Green Chemistry Issue 17, Dr Vinh Nguyen tells us a little more about the artwork: “This graphic features a “superchemist” in safety goggles and white labcoat/cape holding a round-bottom flask. He is holding a heptagonal shield representing our tropylium ion. There are engravings on the shield denoting what chemicals can be used to protect the “carbonyl compound” on his chest.”

Green Chemistry Review gains worldwide press coverage.

An international team of scientists have designed a water treatment system that can remove the harmful chemical BPA from water with 99% effectiveness – as published in Green Chemistry.

Dr Matthew DeNardo, one of the review‘s authors and the primary author of the BPA sections tells us about how the work came together:

The Institute for Green Science at Carnegie Mellon University, which is led by Terrence J. Collins, the Teresa Heinz Professor of Green Chemistry, focuses on the multidisciplinary development of TAML processes for the removal of endocrine disruptors from waters. Production of this authentic, high-quality work, requires engagement of the many fields necessary to direct chemistry towards sustainability. For example, this manuscript would not have been possible without significant contributions from The Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology at Oregon State University and both The Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Centre for Green Chemical Science at the University of Auckland.

The mini-reviews, which Dr. Collins and I wrote together, unify the findings of several disciplines concisely to illuminate the emergent truths. It is fitting that this ‘level of thought’ is necessary to both demonstrate the massive challenge facing the chemical enterprise and the path towards better chemical design and stewardship. Composing these sections, which was both necessary and right, was met with generous financial and moral support, an all-too-rare response for which I will be ever-grateful to Dr. Collins and the Heinz Endowments. I am also deeply indebted to all of the authors for their efforts and patience.

Read the original Green Chemistry publication here.

Find out more about the breakthrough from science outlets including Environmental Health News, Phys.org, New Scientist and RSC News.

We are delighted to announce that the Green Chemistry themed collection on Harvesting Renewable Energy with Chemistry is now online and free to access until the end of July 2017.

Direct, efficient, and selective routes from renewable energies to targeted added-value chemicals are a crucial token of the necessary paradigm shift towards energy systems based on renewable resources. Guest-edited by Walter Leitner, Alessandra Quadrelli and Robert Schlögl, this special issue will highlight innovative concepts and recent developments in academia and industry at the interface between the energy and chemical sector.

Read the full collection online

It includes:

Editorial
Harvesting renewable energy with chemistry
Walter Leitner, Elsje Alessandra Quadrelli and Robert Schlögl
Green Chem., 2017, 19, 2307-2308. DOI: 10.1039/C7GC90045G

Critical review
Structural models of the biological oxygen-evolving complex: achievements, insights, and challenges for biomimicry
Satadal Paul, Frank Neese and Dimitrios A. Pantazis
Green Chem., 2017, 19, 2309-2325. DOI: 10.1039/C7GC00425G

Critical review
Syngas production from electrochemical reduction of CO₂: current status and prospective implementation
Simelys Hernández, M. Amin Farkhondehfal, Francesc Sastre, Michiel Makkee, Guido Saracco and Nunzio Russo
Green Chem., 2017, 19, 2326-2346. DOI: 10.1039/C7GC00398F

Communication
Earth-abundant photocatalytic systems for the visible-light-driven reduction of CO₂ to CO
Alonso Rosas-Hernández, Christoph Steinlechner, Henrik Junge and Matthias Beller
Green Chem., 2017, 19, 2356-2360. DOI: 10.1039/C6GC03527B

Paper
Water splitting using a three-dimensional plasmonic photoanode with titanium dioxide nano-tunnels
Ryohei Takakura, Tomoya Oshikiri, Kosei Ueno, Xu Shi, Toshiaki Kondo, Hideki Masuda and Hiroaki Misawa
Green Chem., 2017, 19, 2398-2405. DOI: 10.1039/C6GC03217F

Paper
Continuous niobium phosphate catalysed Skraup reaction for quinoline synthesis from solketal
Jing Jin, Sandro Guidi, Zahra Abada, Zacharias Amara, Maurizio Selva, Michael W. George and Martyn Poliakoff
Green Chem., 2017, 19, 2439-2447. DOI: 10.1039/C6GC03140D

We are delighted to announce that the inaugural Green Chemistry Emerging Investigators 2017 themed issue is now online and free to access until the end of August 2017.

This issue highlights the excellent research being undertaken by the rising stars of the green chemistry field from across the globe. All contributors were nominated by a member of the Green Chemistry Editorial or Advisory Board as an outstanding researcher in the early stages of their independent career, making a significant contribution to the advancement of green chemistry.

Congratulations to all of those whose work is featured in the collection and we hope you enjoy reading it.

Read the full collection online

It includes:

Editorial
Green Chemistry Emerging Investigators 2017 themed issue
Green Chem., 2017, 19, 2707-2710. DOI: 10.1039/C7GC90063E

Perspective
Green chemistry and polymers made from sulphur
Max J. H. Worthington, Renata L. Kucera and Justin M. Chalker
Green Chem., 2017, 19, 2748-2761. DOI: 10.1039/C7GC00014F

Tutorial Review
Metal–organic frameworks meet scalable and sustainable synthesis
Patrick A. Julien, Cristina Mottillo and Tomislav Friščić
Green Chem., 2017, 19, 2729-2747. DOI: 10.1039/C7GC01078H

Paper
Phenolic acetals from lignins of varying compositions via iron(III) triflate catalysed depolymerisation
Peter J. Deuss, Christopher S. Lancefield, Anand Narani, Johannes G. de Vries, Nicholas J. Westwood and Katalin Barta
Green Chem., 2017, 19, 2774-2782. DOI: 10.1039/C7GC00195A

Paper
Biphasic extraction of mechanocatalytically-depolymerized lignin from water-soluble wood and its catalytic downstream processing
Gaetano Calvaruso, Matthew T. Clough and Roberto Rinaldi
Green Chem., 2017, 19, 2803-2811. DOI: 10.1039/C6GC03191A

Paper
Base-catalysed, one-step mechanochemical conversion of chitin and shrimp shells into low molecular weight chitosan
Xi Chen, Huiying Yang, Ziyi Zhong and Ning Yan
Green Chem., 2017, 19, 2783-2792. DOI: 10.1039/C7GC00089H