Green Analytical Chemistry: RSC

Concerns about environmental pollution, global warming and hazards to human health have increased demands for chemical analysis. The development of analytical chemistry continues apace and every new discovery in chemistry, physics, molecular biology, and materials science brings new applications. Contemporary analytical chemistry does not consume resources optimally. Indeed, usage of toxic compounds is at its highest rate to date. This makes the emerging field of green chemistry a hot topic in industrial and governmental laboratories as well as in academia. The book starts by introducing the twelve principles of green chemistry. It then goes on to discuss how the principles of green chemistry can be used to assess the 'greenness' of analytical methodologies. The 'green profile' proposed by the ACS Green Chemistry Institute is also presented. A chapter on "Greening" sample preparation describes approaches to minimizing toxic solvent use, using non-toxic alternatives, and saving energy. The chapter on instrumental analysis describes existing analytical methods that are inherently green and how to make non-green methods greener. The final chapter on signal acquisition describes how quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) ideas could reduce experimental work thus making analysis greener. The book concludes with a discussion of how green chemistry is both possible and necessary. Green Analytical Chemistry is aimed at managers of analytical laboratories but will also interest teachers of analytical chemistry and green politicians.