With increasingly restrictive governmental regulations and greater environmental concerns, many industries, scientists and farmers may start moving away from solvent-based chemical reactions to mechanical ones. Already popular in parts of Asia and Europe, researchers from the University of Cincinnati are working to improve the process among U.S. users, according to the school.
Mechanochemistry as effective as solvents
University of Cincinnati Associate Professor of Chemistry James Mack has spearheaded U.S. research into the process of mechanochemistry compared to traditional chemistry which uses solvents. Mack and his researchers discovered that although significantly louder, this method is just as effective and carries fewer consequences. Mack is set to speak at the International Symposium on Mechanochemistry in Hefei, Anhui, China on June 6 and 7.
Funded by the Chemical Structure, Dynamics and Mechanisms grant from the National Science Foundation, Mack found that mechanochemistry was effective because it allowed chemicals to get the energy they need through impact to mix at a molecular level without solvents.
This discovery is significant because of the current impact and cost associated with solvents. Some solvents are released into the atmosphere or environment while mixing chemicals. This can lead to a greater amount of pollution. Additionally, solvents often become waste that's expensive to dispose of properly.
Rather than paying significant sums to dispose of used chemicals, paying for expensive new solvents and purchasing new materials to facilitate the experiments, Mack explained that mechanochemistry allows people to reuse equipment and cut back on chemical expenses.
"By reducing the solvent used in the process, you reduce the total amount of waste that's generated in a chemical reaction under traditional chemistry methods," Mack said in a statement. "It's a new way of understanding chemistry … Our goal is to understand the ramifications of not having a solvent – how things are the same, how things are different – and if we can develop a knowledge base of chemistry using this methodology, then we might be able to replace some of the traditional processes that are currently used."
This type of potential "green chemistry" could be especially important to pharmaceutical sciences where the amount of solvents needed for reactions can far outweigh the active chemicals needed.
Yale scientists make new palladium catalyst
Researchers from Yale University have also been working on ways to improve chemical reactions. Published in the journal ACS Catalysis, the study outlined a new chemical catalyst that allows scientists to use fewer materials and spend less money.
Yale scientists created a new palladium catalyst. Palladium, a rare metal that's often used in catalytic converters, has also emerged as a successful catalyst for a number of chemical compounds such as plastics, agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals. However, because this metal is rare, palladium is expensive. Prior to Yale's discovery, palladium catalysts also were prone to deactivation.
This new catalyst uses less palladium, making it more sustainable and less costly. Additionally, it provides a greater infrastructure for chemical reactions and is less likely to lead to deactivation.
"We have developed an improved system that is less prone to deactivation," study co-author Nilay Hazari, an associate professor of chemistry at Yale, explained in a statement. "It should make the preparation of many industrially relevant compounds more economical and sustainable and may lead to new methods to prepare important compounds."
Save money on chemical disposal
With recent rule changes from the Environmental Protection Agency it's become increasingly expensive to properly dispose of the chemicals used for reactions. To cut costs many businesses and labs are deciding to reassess the way they're using their chemicals.
Many people have resorted to using their solvents in a specific way to allow them to be more easily recycled. Clean Harbor explained that there are a few chemical solvents that are recycled the most often. Aliphatic hydrocarbon solvents, aromatic hydrocarbon solvents, alcohols, chlorinated solvents, ester solvents, Ketones, n-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidine and Tetrahydrofuran are among the most popularly recycled solvents according to Clean Harbor.
Additionally, many labs have begun using Web services to connect with one another to share reagents and other chemicals critical to their work. Consider talking to your team about reevaluating the way you dispose of your chemicals in favor of a more efficient and cost-effective method.
