Green Chemistry - Laboratory Chemicals

Laboratory Chemicals

Several laboratory chemicals are controversial, and alternatives have been explored. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has created the Green Alternatives Wizard to help identify alternatives. Ethidium bromide, xylene, mercury, and formalin have been identified as "worst offenders" which have alternatives. Solvents in particular make a large contribution to the environmental impact of chemical manufacturing and there is a growing focus on introducing Greener solvents into the earliest stage of development of these processes: laboratory-scale reaction and purification methods. In the Pharmaceutical Industry, both GSK and Pfizer have published Solvent Selection Guides for their Drug Discovery chemists.