Green Chemistry Course Research Articles

Development of E-Supplements of Biomordan from Cengkodok (Melastoma malabathricum) Leaves For Learning Green Chemistry

Green chemistry is one of the elective courses in the Chemistry Education Study Program of FKIP Untan, which focuses on methods to reduce or eliminate the use of chemicals. Learning media has an important role in the learning process as a learning resource to support the learning process. This study aims to determine the feasibility of E-Supplement Biomordan from Cengkodok Leaf (Melastoma malabathricum). The method used in this research is Research and Development (R&D) with the ADDIE development model. The data collection technique used was an indirect communication technique which was carried out by giving an assessment sheet in the form of a checklist to two experts. The assessment contains certain indicators that are assessed using a Likert scale assessment score. The results of the Green Chemistry e-supplement feasibility test obtained a result of 98% with a very feasible category so that it can be used in Green Chemistry courses.

In the Lab: The Use of Recovered Metal Complexes in Catalysis : Johnson Matthey Technology Review features laboratory research

Research in the group led by James Wilton‐Ely focuses on catalysis, imaging and sensing. All of this work involves d- and f-elements and is underpinned by the group’s wide-ranging expertise in synthesis. Collaborations with researchers in engineering, medicine and bioimaging allow these discoveries to be used to address major healthcare and sustainability challenges. Professor Wilton-Ely is the author of more than 100 publications and was the recipient of the 2021 Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry for his work on metal-based carbon monoxide sensing. He has a strong interest in sustainability, having directed the MRes Green Chemistry course at Imperial College for over 12 years (2010‐2022). He has published on the use of recovered metals in catalysis (1‐5), the catalytic transformation of biomass to platform chemicals (6‐11) and magnetically-recoverable nanoscale catalysts (12, 13). Elemental sustainability is a pressing concern for all researchers using precious metals and this has led Wilton-Ely to work with colleagues to explore the potential for using gold (3) and palladium (4, 5) complexes recovered from end-of-life products in catalysis.

Connecting the periodic table to the planet with systems, life cycle and circularity thinking

Reductionist methods of learning and teaching chemistry have indeed advanced the disciplinary knowledge. However, they have proven deficient in connecting the chemical reactions of elements in the periodic table with the significant impacts they have on planetary and societal systems. Therefore, a systems thinking approach is required that integrates an interdisciplinary and complementary understanding of chemical concepts. Systems Oriented Concept Map Extensions (SOCME)s are an effective tool to connect interdisciplinary subsystems to the larger planetary boundaries and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). We present a course activity where undergraduate students of an introductory green chemistry and sustainable synthesis course selected an element from the periodic table and a simple chemical reaction involving that element, to develop a SOCME. Students applied green chemistry principles, life cycle thinking and circular economy concepts to the various subsystems in their SOCME. Students also recommended an alternative greener subsystem based on their integrated understanding and research from primary literature. They connected the impacts from the subsystems of the element/reaction and the alternative greener reaction to the earth, health, economy, and society to address global challenges represented by the UN SDGs. They effectively communicated the science in their SOCME poster through a video presentation in a virtual format. Student survey data indicated that the systems, life cycle and circularity thinking connected to the UN SDGs, improved their knowledge of the wider impacts of chemistry in the world. It also increased their awareness of the role of chemists in promoting environmental and social justice.

PROMOTING SUSTAINABILITY IN UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM: STUDENTS� PERCEPTION IN GREEN CHEMISTRY COURSE

Global challenges such as climate change, decreasing natural resource and environmental pollution become major threats to global society now. Transformation toward sustainability should be promoted in practices. Universities and higher education (HE) plays an essential role in shaping the individual way of thinking and acting to become sustainability change-maker. This research aimed to study about students perception towards implementation of Green Chemistry Course in undergraduate program of Chemistry Education Study Program, Sanata Dharma University. Through the implementation of green chemistry course, it is expected to promote sustainability to prospective teachers. Findings from this research indicated positive perception towards Green Chemistry Course in terms of students awareness of environmental issues and implementation of principles of green chemistry in life.DOI: doi.org/10.24071/ijiet.2019.030107

Graduate Student Designed and Delivered: An Upper-Level Online Course for Undergraduates in Green Chemistry and Sustainability

Green chemistry and sustainability have garnered more awareness in the chemical industry in recent years, but green chemistry classes are still not commonplace for either the undergraduate or graduate student curriculum. Additionally, many departments are seeking avenues to reach greater numbers and types of learners through online courses. To address both needs, a small group of chemistry graduate students set out to design a 3-credit-hour upper-level online green chemistry course targeted at students most likely to apply green chemistry concepts in their future careers. The goals for the course included education in the basics of green chemistry (history, metrics, methodologies) along with opportunities to apply what they have learned and communicate it to a general audience. This process of developing modules and assessments for the discovery and application of green chemistry principles has enabled a supplementary education for the graduate students as well. Herein, the specific motivations of the gra...

Using Balancing Chemical Equations as a Key Starting Point To Create Green Chemistry Exercises Based on Inorganic Syntheses Examples

Following our previous work on introducing a database of tested chemical examples from Organic Syntheses that can be used as a repository for problem set development in green chemistry courses, in this paper we extend this idea to include over 1300 examples taken from Inorganic Syntheses covering 36 volumes. Examples are sorted according to the following 13 categories: asymmetric syntheses, syntheses involving catalyst preparation, chemoenzymatic reactions, classical resolutions, convergent synthesis plans, kinetic resolutions; multicomponent reactions, multistep linear synthesis plans, natural feedstocks as starting materials, reactions involving product distributions, reactions involving sacrificial reagents, reactions involving nonunity stoichiometric coefficients, and polymerization reactions. In this paper, we highlight the skill of balancing chemical equations as a mandatory prerequisite of green metrics analysis. Through a problem set containing 70 exercises, we selected challenging examples from I...

Exploring Green Chemistry Metrics with Interlocking Building Block Molecular Models

A classroom activity for learning green chemistry metrics with interlocking building blocks is described. The activity illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of conversion, selectivity, yield, atom economy, reaction mass efficiency, carbon efficiency, E-factor, and effective mass yield by counting, where appropriate, the number of molecular models built, the number of bricks used, or the number of connection points available. The activity is appropriate for students in general chemistry courses through advanced undergraduate green chemistry or industrial chemistry courses.

Design of a Dynamic Undergraduate Green Chemistry Course

The green chemistry course taught at Westminster College (PA) incorporates nontraditional teaching techniques and texts to educate future chemists about the importance of using green chemistry principles. The course is designed to introduce green chemistry concepts and demonstrate their inherent necessity by discussing historical missteps by the chemical industry, and future design possibilities. Students learn to apply green chemistry principles through case studies and journal article activities, while connecting all of these resources and experiences with concept maps. The final course project requires students to create their own green chemistry educational materials. This nontraditional approach to teaching chemistry provides an opportunity for students to learn in dynamic ways and to be creative in their contributions to green chemistry.

Visualizing Nanocatalysts in Action from Color Change Reaction to Magnetic Recycling and Reuse

A demonstration to highlight the utility and ease of handling environmentally benign magnetically recoverable nanoparticle catalysts is described. The demonstration offers two powerful visuals. The first is a color change oxidation of tetramethylbenzidine by hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The second, and more pedagogically relevant to discussion of catalyst recycling, is the retrieval of these nanoparticles from solution with an external magnet and subsequent reuse for further rounds of catalysis. The demonstration, useful to instructors of general chemistry and green chemistry courses or animators of outreach activities, requires a modest time investment of less than 5 min, yet adds striking visual aids to discussions of catalyst recycling and reuse.

Designing and Incorporating Green Chemistry Courses at a Liberal Arts College To Increase Students’ Awareness and Interdisciplinary Collaborative Work

Two green chemistry courses have been introduced into the liberal arts curriculum at Susquehanna University. Green chemistry was integrated into an existing course, Chemical Concepts, and offered as Green Chemical Concepts for nonscience majors. This course is designed to instill an appreciation for green chemistry in a large and diverse group of students. The course follows a separate interactive lecture and laboratory format, consists of an atom economy workshop, and ends with students’ collaborative group presentations on “life cycle assessment of a greener product”. A chemistry elective, Green Chemistry, was also developed and offered to science majors. It is important that students from various areas of science be exposed to green chemistry, as many innovative science discoveries are made today through interdisciplinary collaborative work. This course follows a unique workshop style, integrating lectures with laboratory activities, and ends with student proposal presentations on “designing a greener ...

Green Chemistry for Postgraduates

The multidisciplinary nature of Green Chemistry is recognised worldwide as a route to the development of chemical products and processes with lower environmental impact. Green chemistry and sustainability have had a profound effect on the way industry wish to be perceived. To promote uptake of green and sustainable methodologies amongst the chemical and chemical-using industries requires the exemplification of green chemistry in education and training material to influence and inspire the next generation of scientists. Herein, we examine important aspect of successful graduate green chemistry courses and how the skills gained from such studies can open doors to careers in a wide cross section of chemistry related industries.

ConfChem Conference on Educating the Next Generation: Green and Sustainable Chemistry—Teaching Green Chemistry: The Driving Force behind the Numbers!

A special green chemistry course was offered at Grand Valley State University, GVSU, in 2006. Among other assignments, students designed an electronic survey probing the knowledge and the interest in learning about green chemistry. Over 1600 students responded. The responses to the questions “where did you hear about green chemistry” clearly showed the lack of green chemistry inclusion into the curricular program GVSU at that time. Under the driving force of the students’ interest and the imperative need to feel the gap between the traditional content of industrial processes teaching and the principles of green chemistry, we were compelled to change. The result is a new course, Green Chemistry and Industrial Processes, based on green industrial applications. It is a bridge between the principles of green chemistry and industrial processes currently in use, between traditional topics and real-life cases, provided by the global and the local economy. Partnership with local area businesses constitutes an ideal ground for challenging the students’ ability to analyze and understand the existing problems and to develop their critical thinking, while finding creative solutions. This communication summarizes one of the invited papers to the spring 2010 online ConfChem Conference on Educating the Next Generation: Green and Sustainable Chemistry, held from May 7 to June 30, 2010. ConfChem conferences are hosted by the ACS DivCHED Committee on Computers in Chemical Education (CCCE).

Síntesis microquímica y microelectroquímica de acetato de cobre(II) a partir de vinagre: Un ejemplo de química verde

The synthesis of single crystals of copper(II) acetate, suitable for physical characterizations such as Electron Spin Resonance and X-ray diffraction, were obtained by four ways that involve chemical and electrochemical reactions, starting from in-house reagents and equipment (drinking water, vinegar, copper or bronze coins, a pencil lead, a piece of copper wire and a battery eliminator). Chemical synthesis was carried out by dropping vinegar on a bronze coin, whereas the electrochemical route involved the generation of Cu(OH)2 and/or CuO as intermediate products. Because both type of experiments can be carried out in microscale quantities and under mild conditions, they are recommended for green chemistry, electrochemistry, coordination chemistry or general chemistry laboratory courses, since the secondary to undergraduate educational levels. Thus, vinegar and a simple copper coin give us the opportunity to have the “citation classic” dimer Cu2(CH3CH2COO)4·2H2O handy.

THE EFFICACY OF A GREEN CHEMISTRY LABORATORY-BASED PEDAGOGY: CHANGES IN ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES OF MALAYSIA PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS

Every day, climate change due to greenhouse emissions, pollution and other environmental degradation appears to make the news. Rather than doing something about the environment, namely in the developing countries where populations frequently are less educated about the long-term impact of human actions, they tend to disregard these problems. There is therefore a need particularly in developing countries to increase the potential for understanding and acting in sustainable, environmentally friendly ways. In this paper, we report quantitative and qualitative results of shifts in environmental value orientations among 110 Malaysian pre-service chemistry teachers during their enrolment in a green chemistry course. We find that the pre-service teachers’ environmental value orientations become more ecocentric and less homocentric and egocentric. Ecocentrism and ecocentric values support the development of behaviours that will assist them and the students they teach in leading environmentally sustainable lifestyles. We conclude that our green chemistry course constitutes (a) a suitable context for supporting pre-service teachers in their development of ecocentric values and (b) an effort to educate the pre-service teachers in leading sustainable lifestyles.

Toward the Greening of Our Minds: A New Special Topics Course

Nowadays environmentally friendly scientists are conscious about the need to make chemistry "greener". The success of green chemistry depends on the training of the students of today. Facing the need to open students' minds on the greener side of chemistry, a new special-topics course has been developed that covers both the theoretical and practical aspects of green chemistry. The main goal of this course is to motivate the students to use their critical-thinking and problem-solving ability in learning about green chemistry. The originality of this course arises from the unique combination of using diverse pedagogical tools to teach a new chemistry topic as well as the active-learning approach engaging the students in the course material. The course goals, instructional materials, format of the course, grading, evaluation, conclusions of the course are detailed in this article and corresponding Supplemental Material. This outline is designed to provide a model to instructors wishing to integrate a green chemistry course in their curriculum.