New Methodologies and Techniques in Organic Chemistry: Sustainable Development in a Secure Environment

The proposed Advanced Study Institute is intended to upgrade the participants on the new methods and techniques in organic chemistry which are presently available to achieve the goal of production of chemicals in a secure environment. A strong emphasis will be put on all those methods and techniques, both in academic and in industrial research, which allow to render more benign already known processes thus decreasing the probability of social risks.
The following aspects will be developed.
•New efficient and selective catalytic processes.
The appropriate choice of a catalytic system both in the homogeneous phase and immobilized on solid supports may avoid the use of big quantities of hazardous chemicals and may greatly decrease the amount of contaminants. A particular emphasis will be put to new methods which allow a low contamination by metals.
•Use of non-usual media or environmentally benign reagents.
The change from organic solvents or reagents to more benign ones (ionic liquids, water, supercritical fluids; hydrogen peroxide, oxygen) reduces at the same time the impact on the environment and hazards.
•New selective and efficient synthetic methods.
New processes characterized by a high degree of efficiency (chemical yields), a reduced amount of required chemicals (high atom economy) and reduced waste of materials are essential in order to achieve the goal of a sustainable development coupled with an effective protection of the environment.
•New techniques based on alternative energy sources.
Important recent progresses have been made by the scientific community on the use of alternative energy sources (microwave, ultrasound) characterized by high efficiency together with the use of milder and safer conditions.
All the above mentioned topics will be developed in the course of the proposed ASI by an outstanding panel of world-renowned teachers who are experts in these fields thus ensuring a balanced coverage of all the subjects and a very high level of interdisciplinary exchange . In order to make the Advanced Study Institute most effective, poster sessions and selected short oral presentations by participants are also planned; in addition panel discussions on specific subjects (“Sustainable Development: the Academic and Corporate Perspectives” and “Green Chemistry Measures for a Secure Process Research”) are also planned. These will greatly enhance the exchange of ideas and encourage interactions between all participants.