Best Practices: Chemistry | UCSB Sustainability

LabRATS Best Practices

Chemistry

The EPA defines green chemistry as "the design of chemical products that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances". Below are some ways to implement Green Chemistry in your lab space.

Identify hazardous chemicals and alternatives to them:
Look to see if any harmful chemicals in your lab can be swapped out for less-toxic alternatives. Ethidium Bromide is one of the most common DNA stains found in the lab, however, it is environmentally unfriendly, mutagenic, and toxic to researchers. Alternatives like SYBR Green and Gel Red are readily available for use in certain conditions, each with its own trade-offs when used in place of Ethidium Bromide. Check to see if chemicals can be replaced in your experiments!

Keeping an up-to-date inventory of chemicals: Failure to keep an inventory of the chemicals in the lab can lead to purchasing chemicals that your lab already owns, and chemicals that are infrequently utilized can go unnoticed and left to decompose and expire. Maintaining an inventory is a sure way to easily locate chemicals, keep an accurate record of expiration dates, and take the opportunity to properly dispose of any unneeded chemicals.

Donate surplus chemicals to colleagues through Gateway or departmental listservs: Donating chemicals is a good way for labs to network and increase communication between groups, and can enable future exchanges in equipment, chemicals, or even research techniques.

Exchange mercury thermometers for spirit thermometers: Mercury thermometers, barometers and gauges can break spilling mercury costing time and money for the lab to get cleaned up -- a recent barometer spill took nearly 16 staff hours to clean! Fill out a Mercury Thermometer exchange form and EH&S will pick up your thermometer and replace it with a harmless spirit one for free.

Avoid use of unprotected metallic lead when possible: Many electronic components are made with lead, which when disposed of, can poison local water tables. Whenever possible, buy RoHS compliant electronics and electrical equipment. RoHS compliant materials are free of Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, Hexavalent chromium, PBB, and PBDE. When using products with metallic lead, make sure it is oxidation protected.

Solvent purification: On-site distillation vs. pre-purified canisters: Solvents of very high purity (e.g. moisture or oxygen-free) are needed in organic chemistry research and cannot be easily purchased or poured from open bottles. Dedicated stills occupy hood space and can be hazardous. Purchasing purified canisters of solvents with purging and scrubbing dispensers can solve these problems, as this opens up hood space as well as eliminates the need for tens of thousands of liters of cooling water every year.

Avoid halogenated reagents if possible: Halogenated organics in the environment are persistent, including dioxin, DDT, and CFCs. These compounds have contaminated water supplies and destroyed parts of the ozone. Research "green chemistry" or view the "Chemicals" section on the previous page to find alternative chemicals and processes that are less harmful to the environment.

Focus on Waste Prevention: Chemical syntheses should be designed with the idea of minimizing waste in mind. Seek ways to minimize chemical use, such as mini-scintillation vials, or use non-toxic alternatives.

Want to learn more about Green Chemistry? Come check out ACS' 12 Principles of Green Chemistry!