Without a doubt, industry has created an amazing variety of molecules to support our modern way of life.  For a majority of compounds outside of the pharmaceutical industry, we have a limited amount of information upon which to make reasonable decisions about their toxicity to humans or the environment, their degradability (biological or otherwise), our ability to recycle or reuse them, or their renewability.   The pharmaceutical industry is unique in knowing much about the chemicals they synthesize and the degree to which they have begun to implement the principles of green chemistry and engineering into the development of synthetic routes and processes. Society is heavily dependent on the products of the pharmaceutical industry and there are many examples of the power of pharmaceuticals to enable healthier and happier lives.  However, such successes do come at a cost and we are rapidly depleting known reserves of many key elements.  For many elements that are of critical importance to catalysis, we are taking a large amount of mass, concentrating the desired elements and dispersing these same elements into a form that is sometimes difficult to recover and reuse.  There are some bright spots, as in the case of organocatalysis and biocatalysis, but our abilities in these areas are still not mature.   This talk will set the context for the problem, discuss several compelling examples where key material life cycles need to be closed, and discuss a way forward.

Sustainable and green chemistry: A business imperative

247th National Meeting (2014)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.