At Evolve, we speak your language.
As scientists ourselves we understand your requirements and are more than capable of providing application support along with the correct tools for the job.
Duncan Grech, the head of Evolve’s scientific and industrial department, said: ‘We can help you design your experiment from concept to execution with analytical quality-by-design software to dry-run your procedure.
‘This allows you to select study variables, factors, ranges and identify acceptable method conditions.
‘Once your data is imported, analysed and processed you are free to develop your method design further by fine-tuning and selecting the process which will allow for optimum performance and efficiency.’
Evolve has partnered with Green Chemistry manufacturers who supply bio-renewable solvents alongside greener solvent alternatives, ensuring that the solvents being used are made with green principles.
Green Chemistry is growing in importance as it applies innovative scientific solutions to environmental issues.
The term Green Chemistry is becoming increasingly popular phrase in the world of organic science, featuring heavily in many synthesis papers along with other terms such as ‘efficient science’ and ‘less hazardous chemistry’.
The aim is to reduce chemical related impact on human health and virtually eliminate contamination of the environment through dedicated, sustainable prevention measures.
Green Chemistry searches for alternative, environmentally friendly methods and at the same time strives to boost reaction rates and slash reaction temperatures.
The concept applies innovative scientific solutions to solve environmental issues posed in the laboratory.
The 12 Principles of Green Chemistry were developed in 1991, as follows:
1. Waste prevention
2. Atom economy
3. Less hazardous synthesis
4. Designing safer chemicals
5. Safer solvents and auxiliaries
6. Energy efficiency
7. Renewable feedstocks
8. Reduce derivatives
9. Catalysis
10. Design for degradation
11. Real-time analysis
12. Safer chemistry for accident prevention
Evolve scientific sales executive Fiona Cachia, pictured above, specialises in both Chemistry and Biology.
Fiona said: ‘When implementing a green synthesis approach to any chemical reaction, the advantages impact sectors such as economy and efficiency. Waste prevention is one of the key features which ascertain the economical nature of a reaction. The idea is to predict the generation of waste products in a sequence of reactions, and then neutralize this through better planning and prevention methods.
‘One way of doing this is by reducing the generation of derivates in the process. These come about through using protection or blocking groups and result in the need of more solvents and hence more by-products.
‘Reducing the number of steps required in a reaction process further contributes to this process since it lessens the amount of waste produced from subsequent steps and therefore also the solvent quantities required.
‘Solvents are widely used in many reactions and end up contributing to the overall waste production and hazardous nature of a process. The choice of solvent in a reaction greatly affects the extent to which it can be classified as ‘green’.
‘Certain reactions are being conducted in solvents such as ionic liquids, bio-renewable solvents, greener substitutes and even water. The use of renewable feedstocks to create solvents is crucial here as it expresses the need to use materials which are renewable and have no depletive potential, making them a more economically and environmentally viable option.
‘The efficiency of reactions can be increased through atom economy and catalysis. Atom economy is dependent on the number of atoms in the starting reagents which end up in the structure of the final product. The higher the number of atoms which are retained, the better is the atom economy of the reaction. Effectively, this indicates less waste formation through by-products and a decreased likelihood of a negative environmental impact by the waste produced.
‘One of the most important principles of Green Chemistry is that of catalysis. Catalysts help speed up a chemical reaction, thus lowering the energy requirements for a process to be complete. Catalysis additionally offers less of a need for processing and separation agents, which consequently reduces the risk of using toxic materials. Catalysts work to amplify the efficiency of a chemical process.
‘Safety is another focus of Green Chemistry, to minimize the threat to human health and the environment. Any chemicals used in the process of synthesizing a compound, as well as the final compound itself, must be non-toxic.
‘This leads us to another Green Chemistry principle, that of safe chemical design. Any product generated must be subjected to an analysis of its environmental profile and optimization of its structure to lessen its hazardous nature. Additionally, the chemical must be designed to be able to degrade harmlessly and not pose a hazard to its surroundings.
‘The inherently safe chemistry approach dictates that the substances used in a process must be chosen to present little to no threat of accidents relating to fires, explosions, or noxious releases. Real-time analysis is another principle which persists for the general safety of a process. This involves monitoring the reaction as it is taking place and controlling it should any toxic substances arise.
‘Green Chemistry is a rapidly evolving field which is gaining more importance and relativity in today’s world.’
If you’d like to learn more about Evolve’s range of scientific and medical equipment, laboratory supplies and consultancy services in Malta and overseas, please get in touch with us today.
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