CHED 52 |
| Polylactic Acid (PLA), a biodegradable, high molecular weight polymer manufactured by NatureWorks was introduced to Simmons College in 2005 in the form of a cold drinking cup in the cafeteria. The initial successful hydrolysis of post-consumer waste PLA to lactic acid (LA) lead to the creation of 12 undergraduate independent research projects, including the synthesis of (-)-ethyl L-lactate to be used as both an alternative green solvent and a chiral mobile phase in thin-layer chromatography. A new open-inquiry, undergraduate, laboratory-based course on green asymmetric synthesis has also centered on the use of PLA as a free chiral building block or reaction medium for asymmetric reductions. In addition to learning the chemical applications in the laboratory, the community is learning about the principles of green chemistry by submitting their waste PLA for hydrolysis and collecting the product LA to be used as a green acidic cleaner or antibacterial spray. |
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Green Chemistry & Engineering: Equipping Scientists and Engineers to Achieve Sustainability
1:30 PM-4:05 PM, Sunday, April 6, 2008 Hilton New Orleans Riverside -- Jasperwood, Oral
Division of Chemical Education |