Green Chemistry

Dr Torok received his Ph.D. from the University of Szeged, Hungary in Organic Chemistry/Heterogeneous Catalysis in 1995. After receiving his Ph.D. he did postdoctoral training with the 1994 Nobel Laureate George Olah at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles working on the development of environmentally benign alkylate gasoline production. He has held various faculty appointments at Michigan Technological University and the University of Massachusetts Boston, where he is currently a Professor of Chemistry. In 2011/12 he was a visiting professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology working with the 2005 Nobel Laureate Richard Schrock on the development of new alkene metathesis catalysts. His main research focus is on the design of new green chemistry processes for the synthesis of fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals. The major tools applied in his research are heterogeneous catalysis (both metal and solid acid), catalytic hydrogenation, the application of aqueous medium in organic synthesis and unusual activation methods such as microwave and ultrasonic irradiation. He has published over 150 papers and book chapters, many of them in the journal Green Chemistry and Green Chemistry related books. Dr Dransfield is Associate Teaching Professor at Northeastern University. He received his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Harvard University in 2002, working with James Anderson in the study of the gas-phase radical reactions of the lower atmosphere. He also did his post-doctoral work in the Anderson group studying the oxidation pathways of small organic molecules in the polluted troposphere. He then joined MB in 2004, where he served in various faculty positions.His research interests blend computational chemistry with gas-phase kinetics and mechanistic studies, and the use of infrared spectroscopy to identify gas-phase and aerosol species. He has experience teaching chemistry to all audiences, from graduate students to health science majors, and has developed a keen understanding of the differing needs of different students. He led the team-taught graduate course on Green Chemistry at UMB several times, and oversaw the integration of a wide array of topics into the survey of the field.

• 1. Introduction1.1 Green Chemistry: Historical Perspectives and Basic Concepts 2. Chemical Issues of Modern Society2.1 Environmental Chemistry, Renewable Energy and Global Policy2.2 Sustainable Synthesis2.3. Integrating the Principles of Toxicology Into a Chemistry Curriculum2.4 Effects of Environmental Factors on DNA: damage and mutations 3. Green Chemistry in Practice3.1. The Natural Atmosphere 3.2. Air Pollution and Air Quality 3.3. Stratospheric Ozone Depletion and Recovery 3.4. The Greenhouse Effect, Aerosols, and Climate Change 3.5. The Chemistry of Natural Waters 3.6. Water Contamination and Pollution 3.7. Contaminants of Emerging Concern, with an Emphasis on Nanomaterials and Pharmaceuticals 3.8. Pollution in the Coastal Zone: A Case Study of Wastewater on Cape Cod, MA 3.9. The Composition of Soils and Sediments 3.10. Heavy Metal Pollution and Remediation 3.11. Application of Green Chemistry in Homogeneous Catalysis 3.12. Heterogeneous Catalysis: A Fundamental Pillar of Sustainable Synthesis 3.13. Phase Transfer Catalysis: a Tool for Environmentally Benign Synthesis 3.14. Biocatalysis: Nature’s Chemical Toolbox 3.15. Organic Solvents in Sustainable Synthesis and Engineering by 3.16. Ionic liquids as novel media and catalysts for electrophilic/onium ion chemistry and metal-mediated reactions3.17. Solvent-free synthesis of nanoparticles 3.18. Application of Microwaves in Sustainable Organic Synthesis 3.19. Application of Sonochemical Activation in Green Synthesis 3.20. Principles of Electrocatalysis3.21. Principles of Photochemical Activation toward Artificial Photosynthesis and Organic Transformations 3.22. Biopolymers: biodegradable alternatives to traditional plastics 3.23. Modern Applications of Green Chemistry: Renewable Energy 3.24. From ethanol to biodiesel: a survey of green fuels 3.25. Solar Energy Conversion 3.26. Towards a Sustainable Carbon Cycle: the Methanol Economy 3.27. Natural and Nature-Inspired Synthetic Small Molecule Antioxidants in the Context of Green Chemistry 3.28. The Value-adding Connections between the Management of Eco-innovation and the Principles of Green Chemistry and Engineering 3.29. The International Chemicals Regime: Protecting Health and the Environment