06/30/2025
of "Organic Transformations in Water," ed. by Anilkumar Gopinathan et al. from Wiley-Vch Verlag.
With pollution due to chemical solvents being recognized as a growing threat to our environment, it has become necessary to find alternative, less toxic methods for performing organic reactions. The most apparent solution to this problem is to switch from organic-borne reactions to water-borne reactions. Anilkumar et al. have proposed several new methods to replace organic solvent-borne reactions with water-borne reactions.
This edition collects several articles by various authors, discussing the uses and benefits of performing traditional organic reactions "in-water" or "on-water."
For the purposes of this book, "in-water" refers to organic reactions that take place, using water as the solvent, with the aid of surfactants that help suspend the reactants in an emulsion state. The surfactants create micelles in solution which stabilize the reactants. The non-polar portion of the reactants are held within the micelle while the reactive portion remains exposed to the water phase. In many cases, these water-borne reactions can occur at rates comparable (or even greater than) the traditional organic-borne reactions.
"On-water" refers to organic reactions that occur at the surface interfaces of water. This can include a variety of interfaces, such as water/air, water/organic, and even water/droplet interfaces. Depending on the combination of phases used, the reactions can be performed on-water with equal or improved rates to traditional organic solvents.
While there is still work to be done before these water-borne reactions can replace organic-borne reactions on the industrial scale, these articles provide encouragement that better options are possible. The book is available now from my website:
https://lateknightbooks.com/shop/p/9783527353774?rq=organic%20transformations%20in%20water
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