Designing green and sustainable experiments for undergraduate organic chemistry labs

Four synthesis experiments were redesigned for university chemistry laboratories via green and sustainable methodology: synthesis of acetanilide; synthesis of dibromopropanone; synthesis of stilbene di-bromide; and synthesis of nitro salicylic acid. The structure of the resulted compounds was confirmed via elemental analysis, 1HNMR, and 13CNMR spectral data. The green framework of the experiments was assessed by matching the new design with the conventional ones. In each planned synthesis, the twelve principles of green chemistry were pronounced through; preventing waste, accidents, and pollution; maximizing atom economy and energy efficiency; minimizing hazardous and derivatives; designing for safer chemicals and degradation; using safer solvent and catalysis; and employing renewable feedstock. Group discussions were arranged among the targeted undergraduate students to ensure the green and sustainable context of green methodologies as well as the non-green components of traditional ones. The project opened a research frame for applying successive green and progressive sustainable practices in academic study plans. Our mission in this research is to design and implement green chemistry and sustainable experiments, practices, and methodologies in academic curricula, also, continuing encouraging such practices in our university core courses describing the green and sustainable context of these practices side by side the non-green components of the traditional ones.