Preface to the Second Edition Free

The first edition of this book was published nearly ten years ago, and it was the first of its kind. Since then several books and reviews have been written that have helped to propagate the principles of green analytical chemistry. This is to be expected, as the development of analytical chemistry continues at a steady pace and related sciences such as physics, molecular biology and materials science are contributing new approaches to this discipline.

The use of toxic compounds and solvents in chemical analysis is still an extremely pressing issue that makes the application of green chemistry principles and the development of environmentally benign methods of analysis an important topic for industrial and governmental laboratories, as well as academia. Analytical services in industry play a vital role in quality assurance, which is reflected in the price of the product. For this reason, no effort must be spared to make this aspect of production environmentally benign, reducing waste and decreasing spending on energy and materials.

However, the use of solvents, reagents and energy is unavoidable in any chemical analysis, and thus some generation of waste seems to be inevitable. The most recent developments in analytical chemistry indicate that the application of a green chemistry perspective to the assessment of analytical methods is becoming a natural process and basic policy. In contemporary chemical analysis, the true cost of resources, and the generation and processing of waste are now routinely considered in the design of new methods and comparison of procedures to help ensure that such processes are as green as possible. It is fair to say that the definition of analytical chemistry must now include the development of analytical procedures that produce less hazardous waste, are less dangerous, and are less harmful to the environment. An aspect of the relationship between green chemistry and analytical chemistry that must be emphasised is that analytical chemistry provides the means of evaluating and justifying green chemistry and is an efficient tool for determining the greenness of a chemical product or technology.

A name gives form to an idea. Philosopher Saul Kripke wrote: A name refers to an object by virtue of a causal connection with the object as mediated through communities of speakers. Professor J. Namieśnik is credited with the name “green analytical chemistry” (GAC).¹  Are there distinct properties of that discipline that entitle it to its name? Many chemists believe there are not. On the other hand, there are definitely speakers and researchers who talk about green analytical chemistry.

This book is an attempt to portray the changing landscape of analytical chemistry from the standpoint of adopting the principles of green chemistry, to develop a revised view of the discipline based on new data, and to provide fresh information. The main motivation for writing this book on green analytical chemistry is to give a description of how green principles are currently applied in analytical chemistry and suggest what more should be done in the future, as we believe that insufficient attention is being directed towards the environmental aspects of the way data are obtained.

The main structure of the book remains similar to the first edition; all of the chapters have been revised according to new research and publications in the field.

In the first chapter the present status of green chemistry, as well as changes and new developments in science and industry are described.

In the second chapter an overview of trends in analytical chemistry over the last 10 years is presented, which takes into account the wider introduction of the principles of green chemistry; the greenness of instrumental methods and the introduction of fitness-for-purpose in chemical analysis in industrial and public laboratories is discussed, and a review of literature on the assessment of analytical methods and new metric systems for measuring the greenness of methods is undertaken.

The third chapter is devoted to the greening of sample preparation – the first and vital step in every analytical method. The principles of green chemistry have had a significant influence on sample preparation, and the last 10 years have witnessed the development of new materials and technologies to make these processes more effective and environmentally benign. Special attention will be given to the use of smart materials in every step of the analysis process.

A separate chapter is devoted to separation methods in analytical chemistry, because these are the most resource-intensive processes in chemical analysis. New materials, solvents and technologies have vastly changed separation methods over the last 10 years, and the chapter required revision based on new publications and trends in instrumental developments.

The topic of the fourth chapter is instrumental analysis, a field that has developed substantially in recent years. The revision of this chapter is based on new sources and publications. New materials and approaches have greatly changed the development of instruments in general and chemical sensors in particular, which merit assessment from the standpoint of green chemistry. These discussions focus on new trends in online analysis and point-of-care analysis techniques and instrumentation, as well as simple methods that make use of sophisticated data processing techniques supplied by contemporary mobile computers/phones. The development of miniature chemical sensors that can transfer a signal to the processor and back to the actuator via the Internet introduces the topic of the “internet-of-things”.

It should be emphasised that every step in the process of increasing the greenness of a particular method must take into consideration the main analytical parameters, namely selectivity, sensitivity, reliability, analysis time and cost. This includes the industrial aspect of analytical chemistry, which could reap large rewards from the greening of analysis because of the magnitude of resources involved.

During discussions about green trends in analytical chemistry a prominent analytical chemist and colleague Professor Miguel de la Guardia from the University of Valencia, Spain, emphasised the importance of developing inexpensive analytical methods, especially for point-of-care applications, that make use of instrumentation equipped with open-access software. Data from these measurements can be stored in the Cloud and distributed globally through social networks, enabling open discussion and sharing of opinions, and promoting solidarity within the science community. This brings a more democratic spirit to science, which has traditionally been a somewhat elite discipline performed with expensive instrumentation in laboratories that are regarded only as spaces for the production of science, and has to some extent fostered a protective, conservative mentality. Democratic analytical chemistry accords well with the new trend towards “do-it-yourself” (DIY) instrumentation. This paradigm is especially evident in paper microfluidics that incorporate the use of smartphones, a technique that will be described in Chapter 4, and is representative of a type of technology that is universally available.

However, Professor de la Guardia warns that this openness carries several risks, particularly with regard to irresponsible distribution of non-rigorous measurement results and experimental data, which provides material for false news – one of the banes of contemporary social media. This hazard can nevertheless be overcome by improved education, a strong sense of social responsibility, and self-discipline on the part of scientists. It is difficult to disagree with de la Guardia's opinion that the introduction of green analytical chemistry is a battle for democracy in chemistry.² 

The approach taken in this book is that of a tutorial that would aid the novice entering a discipline that includes both fledgling and senior scientists. The prospective audience for this book is likely to be managers of analytical research laboratories, but the book will also be of interest to teachers of analytical chemistry and even those who make green public policy.

Most of the information in this book has been obtained from the publications of scientists working in this field. We have attempted to summarise the general trends and discuss the most promising applications for which more attention and further development may be beneficial. However, time constraints required us to finish the work by mid-2018. We therefore take responsibility for the topics selected and would be grateful for comments from readers regarding inaccuracies or omissions.

We extend our sincere thanks to Dolores Talpt Lindsay for her editing of the English text. We are also grateful to Tallinn University of Technology and Estonian Centre of Analytical Chemistry for supporting the preparation of this book.

Mihkel Koel and Mihkel Kaljurand

Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia