Green chemistry. Sustaining a high-technology civilization

By learning how to balance natural resource limitations and pollution preve ntion with economic growth, green chemistry will become the central science of sustainability. The elimination of persistent pollutants is vital for a sustainable civilization. To achieve this, the most important guiding conc ept is that the elemental composition of technology should be shifted towar d the elemental composition of biochemistry. Oxidation chemistry is current ly a prolific producer of persistent pollutants. Many arise from the use of chlorine, hypochlorite, or chlorine dioxide in large-scale oxidation proce sses. Oxidation chemistry can be greened by replacing these with catalyzed alternatives based on Nature's oxidizing agent, hydrogen peroxide. TAML(R) (TetraAmidol/MacrocyclicLigand) iron catalysts, which were invented at Carn egie Mellon University are widely patented and are being developed to activ ate H2O2 for commercial applications. TAML activators are water-soluble, ea sy to use, function well from neutral to basic pH, are not dominated by non selective Fenton-like reactivity, are straightforward to synthesize, work e ffectively in minute concentrations, enable peroxide processes to occur at temperatures well below those of the processes targeted for replacement, an d are amenable to modification for capturing novel selectivities. TAML acti vators are "dial-a-lifetime" catalysts: an activator can be chosen exhibiti ng a lifetime commensurate with the desired task.