Toxicity concerns, green solvents

Solvent toxicity can also be an issue, but less so as newer green solvents are developed to replace traditional solvents that are unacceptable because of environmental concerns. There is, for example, growing interest in the use of ionic liquids in LLE, a relatively new and unexplored class of potential solvents. 

Table V. Novel Criteria for Green Solvents . Toxicity concerns...

A great deal of the environmental concern associated with chemical manufacture comes from not merely the chemicals that are made or the chemicals from which they are made, but from all of the substances associated with their manufacture. In the manufacture, processing, formulation and use of chemical products, there are a variety of associated substances that contribute to the environmental loading from chemical manufacture. The most visible of these associated substances are the solvents used in reaction media, separations and formulations. Many solvents, especially the widely used volatile organic solvents, have come under increased scrutiny and regulatory restriction based on concerns for their toxicity and their contributions to air and water pollution. It is for these economic and environmental reasons that much of the research and development in Green Chemistry reaction conditions is focussed on alternative solvents. 

The need to implement green chemistry principles (e.g., safer solvents, less hazardous chemical synthesis, atom economy, and catalysis) is a driving force toward the avoidance of the use of toxic organic solvents. A solvent-free or solid-state reaction obviously reduces pollution and reduces handling costs due to simplification of experimental procedure and workup technique and savings on labor. However, interest in the environmental control of chemical processes has increased remarkably in the last three decades as a response to public concern about the use of hazardous chemicals. Therefore, to improve the effectiveness of this method in preventing chemical waste, it is important to investigate its optimal conditions. 

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