E factors, green chemistry and catalysis: an odyssey

The development of green chemistry is traced from the introduction of the concepts of atom economy (atom utilisation) and E factors in the early 1990s. The important role of catalysis in reducing or eliminating waste is emphasised and illustrated with examples from heterogeneous catalytic oxidations with hydrogen peroxide, homogeneous catalytic oxidations and carbonylations and organocatalytic oxidations with stable N-oxy radicals. Catalytic reactions in non-conventional media, e.g. aqueous biphasic, supercritical carbon dioxide and ionic liquids, are presented. Biotransformations involving non-natural reactions of enzymes, e.g. ester ammoniolysis, and the rational design of semi-synthetic enzymes, such as…