Simple, environmentally friendlier materials in green chemical applications

Abstract

Green chemistry is a popular class of chemistry in which certain principles are followed to minimize the negative impact of chemical processes. The principles focused on here include designing safer chemicals and the usage of catalysts. This work can be divided in four parts. 1) The ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium aluminum tetrachloride was reacted with lithium to produce a persistent radical that was characterized. This radical was similar to one detected in previous work involving the reaction of tetrakis(dimethylamino)ethylene with muonium. 2) Three novel carbonyl stabilized ylides were synthesized and, in one case, subsequently methylated in an attempt to produce a new C(0) compound. 3) Fatty acid-based ionic liquids were synthesized and tested as oil dispersants against Corexit™ 9500, a commercial product used in the cleanup of the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. 4) Amino sugar-based Schiff‟s bases were synthesized as potential alternatives to ubiquitous metal chelator ethelynediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA).