Green chemistry

Green chemistry designs chemical products and processes to reduce or eliminate hazardous substances, waste, and energy use at their source.

Atom economy: A measure of how much of the atoms in reactants are incorporated into the desired product. It favors reactions that send fewer starting-material atoms into waste.
Chemical hazard: The capacity of a chemical substance to cause harm to people or the environment. Green chemistry seeks to avoid hazardous properties through molecular and process design.
Biocatalysis: The use of enzymes or whole cells to catalyze chemical transformations. Biocatalysts can enable selective reactions under relatively mild conditions.
Pollution prevention: The reduction or elimination of pollution at its source rather than after it is created. This broader strategy shares green chemistry’s emphasis on prevention over treatment.
Pollution Prevention Act of 1990: A United States law establishing pollution prevention as national environmental policy. It supplied a policy foundation for preventing waste before treatment or disposal.
E-factor: The mass of waste generated per mass of product in a chemical process. It quantifies the waste burden that process redesign aims to reduce.
Chemical risk assessment: The evaluation of potential harm from exposure to chemical hazards. Risk assessment helps distinguish inherent hazard from risks shaped by exposure.
Supercritical carbon dioxide: Carbon dioxide above its critical temperature and pressure, where it has properties of both liquid and gas. It can replace some conventional solvents in extraction and processing.
End-of-pipe treatment: Technologies that capture or treat pollution after it has been generated. Green chemistry redesigns production to avoid pollutants instead of treating them afterward.
Paul Anastas: An American chemist who helped develop and promote the field of green chemistry. His work helped define the field and articulate its guiding principles.

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