New “Green” Experiments for the Organic Chemistry Laboratories

1. Abstract: This project involves replacing a number of the currently used organic chemistry experiments with equally educational, yet more environmentally friendly experiments. Most of the fuels, materials, and medicines in our modern world have come about through advances in chemistry. Unfortunately, the production of these vital resources involves the formation of waste. However, new processes are continuously being developed that minimize or eliminate chemical waste. Some of these can potentially be incorporated into our own teaching laboratories. Students in the physical sciences, engineering, and medical fields all benefit from the hands-on experience of working in chemistry laboratories. With approximately 1000 of these students moving through the organic chemistry laboratories every semester, there is great potential to reduce waste, and at the same time educate students about sustainability, by incorporating new experiment designs. In the timeframe of this project we expect to be able to develop 3 new experiments. The development will involve adapting existing experiments (from the chemical literature) to fit into our program. The major outcomes of implementing these new experiments will be to 1) reduce the amount of waste produced by the chemistry teaching labs 2) simultaneously provide students in these classes with an appreciation of the importance of green approaches to chemistry and 3) give students a real-life introduction to recycling of a plastic. The funds will be used to support a graduate student for the 2013 summer session II ($8,900 ERE included). Two faculty members will guide the project and further assistance will come from the teaching laboratory facilities and CBC Preproom staff.