The Principles Of Green Chemistry – Fifth Principle: Safer Solvents And Auxiliaries

Green chemistry mandates that the use of auxiliary substances, like solvents and separation agents, must be minimized and made innocuous when used. Solvents are critical to greener chemical synthesis because they often account for the majority of the mass and up to 75% of the cumulative life cycle environmental impact in standard batch operations. Fortunately, a significant body of literature offers guidance on safer solvent alternatives, especially in peptide synthesis, moving away from substances like DMF and DCM.

Studies consistently show that adopting green solvents does not impair the synthetic process and translates directly to a smaller impact on the environment and human health. Where outright replacement is difficult, implementing recovery and reuse strategies is highly effective, drastically reducing fresh solvent consumption and waste generation. Ultimately, selecting solvents is an exercise in impact trading, requiring chemists to choose options that are chemically effective, minimize toxicity, and reduce overall life cycle environmental impacts.