Green chemistry
About the course
Theoretical. The course is available as a singular or elective course independent of study program, also to exchange-students. The course is offered on condition that a minimum number of students register for the course.
Green chemistry is the study of chemical syntheses and processes that reduce or eliminate the use of hazardous substances. A key goal is to reduce pollution at source by minimizing or eliminating the use of hazardous raw materials, reagents, solvents, and products. In this respect, the approach is the opposite of pollution remediation which involves, e.g., the treatment of waste and the cleaning of environmental spills.
The following topics are covered:
- The 12 principles of green chemistry
- Design of green syntheses and processes including brief mention of lifecycle assessment
- Renewable feedstocks (the transition from petroleum-based feedstocks to bio-based feedstocks
- Electrochemical, photochemical, mechanochemical, sonochemical, flow, and other green synthetic methods
- Sustainable fuels
- Green catalysis, biomimetic catalysis and biocatalysis
Admission requirements
Formal prerequisites:
Applicants from Nordic countries: General chemistry KJE-1001 (10ECTS) or equivalent.
International applicants: Higher Education Entrance Qualification and certified language requirements in English. It is a requirement that students have prior knowledge of chemistry. Participants must have taken introductory level university course in general chemistry, equivalent to KJE-1001 and achieved pass grades, in this subject. A list of the requirements for the Higher Education Entrance Qualification in Norway can be found on the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education website - nokut.no
Recommended prerequisites: KJE-1002, KJE-1003, KJE-1004 or equivalent.
Application code: 9197 (Nordic applicants).
Objectives of the course
Knowledge
The student can:
- assess chemical processes using the 12 principles of green chemistry
- design simple syntheses that use renewable feedstocks and maximize atom economy;
- suggest solutions to synthetic problems based on electro-, photo-, mechano- and sonochemical, as well as flow methods;
- describe and apply elementary principles of electrochemical and photochemical reduction of protons, CO2 and N2 (especially the chemistry involved in the production of blue hydrogen and ammonia);
- apply key aspects of green catalysis such as the use of base metals as opposed to noble metals, biomimetic catalysts, and biocatalysts, in reaction design.
Skills
The student can
- propose greener protocols for selected synthetic reactions
- suggest electrochemical and/or photochemical routes toward elementary synthetic targets
- explain how environmentally friendly catalysts can be employed in processes that have typically employed noble metal catalysts
General competence
The student can
- use the principles of lifecycle assessment (LCA)
- understand the environmental cost of industrial chemicals and processes and be able to develop alternative strategies that reduce the amount of waste produced
- understand the elementary principles involved in major green-chemistry processes such as electrochemical and photochemical syntheses
- think strategically about the transition to sustainable feedstocks
Prerequisites
Anbefalte forkunnskaper
KJE-1002 Organic chemistry, KJE-1003 Practical organic chemistry, KJE-1004 Introduction to inorganic chemistry and nanomaterials chemistry
Obligatorisk forkunnskapskrav
KJE-1001 Introduction to chemistry and the chemistry of biology
Teaching methods
The course will follow a flipped classroom model with approximately 50 contact hours. In other words, class hours will be used to:
a) teach key concepts (20%) and
b) help students to apply the concepts via comprehensive problem-solving (80%),
with no formal separation of lectures and seminars.
Language of instruction and examination
The language of instruction is English and all of the syllabus material is in English. Examination questions will be given in English, and may be answered in either English or a Norwegian/Scandinavian language.Schedule
The schedules are normally finalized and published well in advance of the start of the semester, often a few weeks beforehand. This gives students the opportunity to organize their studies and prepare for upcoming activities.
It is recommended to check the schedule regularly, as changes may occur.
Information to incoming exchange students
This course is open for inbound exchange student who meets the admission requirements, including prerequisites. Please see the Admission requirements" and the "Prerequisite" sections for more information. The course is offered to exchange students on condition that students from one of our study programs at Department of Chemistry attend.
Do you have questions about this module? Please check the following website to contact the course coordinator for exchange students at the faculty: INBOUND STUDENT MOBILITY: COURSE COORDINATORS AT THE FACULTIES | UiT
Examination
To take an examination, the student must have passed the following coursework requirements
| Approved reports from laboratory exercises | Approved – not approved |
| Literature report | Approved – not approved |
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