The Role of the Journal Impact Factor in Chemistry Research

The journal impact factor (JIF) is a skewed metrics whose value is dictated by just a few highly cited articles. Therefore, the use of the JIF to evaluate journals, scholars, or research institutes is flawed. Still, the JIF continues to play a central role in evaluating scholarship in chemistry, the most reluctant amid scientific disciplines to embrace the principles of open science. This study investigates the origins of this social behavior, and suggests avenues to improve scholarly communication in the chemical sciences following the example of the life sciences

New recyclable catalysts for aerobic alcohols oxidation: sol-gel ormosils doped with TPAP

Novel nanoporous materials have been prepared that are recyclable catalysts for the aerobic oxidation of activated and non-activated alcohols. The catalysts are organically modified silicas (ormosils) doped with tetra-n-propylammonium perruthenate (TPAP) via the sol-gel process. Hydrophobicity and flexibility of the sol-gel cages were crucial in promoting catalysis

Green Chemistry in the Fine Chemicals and Pharmaceutical Industries

Biocatalysis is the main green chemistry technology adopted by the fine chemicals and pharmaceutical industries to manufacture chemicals with higher yield. Heterogeneously catalyzed processes using supported metal or molecular catalysts are still an exception. Reviewing the actual development of green chemistry in these important segments of the chemical enterprise, we investigate the reasons behind such a delay in innovation. Finally, we consider whether green metrics developed by chemists is actually purposeful to management, and find that this concept needs to be streamlined to include simple financial metrics quantifying the impact of prevention on the company’s bottom line

Application of nanocellulose composites in the environmental engineering: A review

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Closing the Organosilicon Synthetic Cycle: Efficient Heterogeneous Hydrosilylation of Alkenes over SiliaCat Pt(0)

A modest 0.5–1 mol % amount of the sol–gel entrapped hybrid catalyst SiliaCat Pt(0) selectively mediates the hydrosilylation of different olefins under Ar atmosphere at room temperature or at 65 °C, depending on the substrate. Low levels of Pt leaching ensure minimal amounts of platinum residues in crude product and no plant contamination. Valued platinum nanoparticles remain entrapped within the organosilica xerogel that can thus be reused

Prospective life cycle assessment for the full valorization of anchovy fillet leftovers: The LimoFish process

Prospective life cycle assessment models were developed and applied at the laboratory and industrial scale with the aim to evaluate the environmental burdens associated with the LimoFish process used to produce the fish oil “AnchoiOil”, the new organic fertilizer “AnchoisFert” or biogas (by means of anaerobic digestion) after treatment of anchovy fillet leftovers (AnLeft) with agro-solvent d-limonene. Potential impacts for climate change and freshwater eutrophication were estimated at 29.1 kg CO2 eq/kg AnLeft and 1.7E−07 kg PO4 eq/kg AnLeft at laboratory scale, and at 1.5 kg CO2 eq/kg AnLeft and 2.2E−07 kg PO4 eq/kg AnLeft at industrial scale. Electricity consumption is the main contributor to the environmental impact of the process and plays a significant role in the production of d-limonene, for which cold pressing extraction would reduce the related impacts by ∼ 70 %. The use of the solid by-product as organic fertilizer or input to anaerobic digestion would provide additional environmental benefits to the process. The LimoFish process is a successful example of a low impacting strategy to reduce the demand for natural resources and maximize the application of the circular economy principles in the fishing industry

Aerobic Oxidation of Alcohols in Carbon Dioxide with Silica-Supported Ionic Liquids Doped with Perruthenate

The replacement of toxic CrVI for O2 and of chlorinated solvents for supercritical carbon dioxide (or ionic liquids) in the oxidation of alcohols remains hindered by the low selectivity and activity of the current heterogeneous catalysts. Using an integrated approach that combines sol–gel entrapped perruthenate as aerobic catalyst, an encapsulated ionic liquid as solubility promoter, and scCO2 as the reaction solvent, we have developed a system capable of rapidly converting different alcohols into carbonyl compounds with complete selectivity, including substrates which are otherwise difficult to oxidise. The methodology is generally applicable and may easily be extended to other waste-free, catalytic syntheses of fine chemicals