Alternate Energy Sources for Sustainable Organic Synthesis

Abstract

AbstractOrganic Chemistry plays an important role in energy, information, materials, population, health, environment and implementation of defence plan. Organic chemists therefore, have the greatest responsibility to devise methods of carrying out organic syntheses, which will reduce or even eliminate the by‐products and solve the problem of environmental pollution from the source. One of the methods to achieve this is using non‐conventional energy sources, such as microwave, ultrasound, and photochemical chemistry, in conjugation with non‐toxic solvents, which dramatically reduces energy waste and reaction time. Experiments synergising these alternate energy sources like microwave sonication, photosonication or microwave photochemistry, have gained high popularity as cost‐ effective green strategies. Pooling the advantages of alternate energy sources with biocatalysis is another novel avenue of sustainable synthesis. Organic electrosynthesis has also emerged as an environmentally benign technique for the construction of C‐C and C‐hetero bonds. Highlights of significant developments in these areas define the scope of the present discussion.