Atom economy stoichiometric equation

As noted above, a knowledge of the stoichiometric equation allows one to predict the theoretical minimum amount of waste that can be expected. This led to the concept of atom economy [8] or atom utilization [9] to quickly assess the environmental acceptabihty of alternatives to a particular product before any experiment is performed. It is a theoretical number, that is, it assumes a chemical yield of 100% and exactly stoichiometric amounts and disregards substances which do not appear in the stoichiometric equation. 

The atom utilization [13-18], atom efficiency or atom economy concept, first introduced by Trost [21, 22], is an extremely useful tool for rapid evaluation of the amounts of waste that will be generated by alternative processes. It is calculated by dividing the molecular weight of the product by the sum total of the molecular weights of all substances formed in the stoichiometric equation for the reaction involved. For example, the atom efficiencies of stoichiometric (Cr03) vs. catalytic (02) oxidation of a secondary alcohol to the corresponding ketone are compared in Fig. 1.1. 

The atom economy (AE, as percentage) was calculated considering the mass-balance of a process related to its stoichiometric equation, that is, the percentage of atoms of the reagent that end up in the product ... 

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