Content area
Full Text
Green Chemistry in the Organic Teaching Laboratory: III An Environmentally Benign Synthesis of Adipic Acid
Chemical synthesis that takes into account environmental considerations in the selection of reactants and reaction conditions is growing in importance as both industrial and academic researchers become aware of the environmental and economic advantages of an environmentally benign or "green" approach. In the teaching laboratory, introduction of greener experiments improves safety, allows for the routine use of macroscale techniques, and provides an ideal context for the discussion of chemical safety. The use of greener reactions and reagents also introduces state-of-the-art methods and gives students a glimpse of the frontiers of chemical research.
While many chemistry courses now cover environmental issues as a part of their curriculum (1), few integrate such concepts into their laboratory sections, owing in part to a lack of published material in this field. We know of no published green experiments designed for use in the organic teaching laboratory. The scarcity of such experiments occurs because green synthesis is in its infancy and modification of existing experiments can be difficult. The lack of experiments is a major obstacle to providing a greener organic laboratory curriculum.
Because of the potential benefits of such a curriculum, our aim was to develop experiments for use in a new green organic chemistry laboratory course taught at the University of Oregon.1 Here we report an experiment from that course in which the students synthesize adipic acid by oxidation of cyclohexene under environmentally benign conditions. This reaction serves as an example of the types of experiments that introduce green concepts while teaching hands-on green laboratory techniques.
Discussion
Our goal in designing this course was twofold. We sought to teach students the core organic synthesis laboratory skills while demonstrating, first hand, the benefits of an approach that uses greener reagents, reaction conditions, and products. Our criteria for identifying green experiments for this new curriculum are that each experiment should:
1. Illustrate green chemical concepts (e.g., recycling, hazard reduction, solvent reduction).
2. Teach modern reaction chemistry and techniques.
3. Complement the lecture course and provide a platform for discussion of environmental issues in the classroom.
4. Be accomplished by students within the time (3 hours) and material constraints of a typical student organic laboratory.