(For a graphic outline of our green organic lab curriculum, check out our slide show.)
In 1998-99 a green lab was offered as an alternative to the normal organic lab sequence at the University of Oregon. This two-term sequence, taught by Jim Hutchison and Ken Doxsee consisted of two sections with twelve students each. Additionally, three teaching assistants, Marvin Warner, Scott Reed, and Brad Wan worked with the students in the lab to optimize and test new green laboratory experiments. For the 1999-00 year, the green lab was expanded to a class of 30 students, to further test the experiments, conduct monitoring of waste production and air monitoring. Today, all organic labs are taught in the green format in our new green organic lab.
The goal in designing this course was two-fold. We sought to teach students the core organic synthesis laboratory skills while demonstrating, first hand, the benefits of an approach that uses greener reagents, reaction conditions and products. Our belief is that the introduction of greener experiments will improve safety, allow for the routine use of macroscale techniques, and provide an ideal context for the discussion of chemical safety.
One of the challenges in developing this course was developing new laboratory experiments, as there are very few examples in current lab manuals. Our criteria for identifying green experiments for this new curriculum were that each experiment:
- Illustrate green chemical concepts (e.g. recycling, hazard reduction, solvent reduction)
- Teach modern reaction chemistry and techniques
- Complement the lecture course and provide a platform for discussion of environmental issues in the classroom
- Be accomplished by students given the time (3 hours) and material constraints of a typical student organic laboratory
- Is adaptable to either macroscale or microscale methods
- Uses inexpensive, greener solvents and reagents
- Reduces laboratory waste and hazards
- Each term of the lab course consists of 7 labs that were either designed from scratch or modified from existing labs to meet the above criteria.
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