Volume 4, Issue 2 -

This article focuses on the routes of transport and abiotic processes involved in the environmental transformation of synthetic organic chemicals and how molecular structure controls the products and lifetimes of several important classes of organic chemicals. The chapter also discusses the current methods to reliably determine the rates and products of degradation of new chemicals based on combinations of chemical structure and environmental processes as well as use of laboratory and field measurements. Methods are also discussed for use of structure activity relations for this purpose.

Forensic science can be broadly defined as the application of any of the scientific method to solving a crime. Within forensic science there are many different disciplines, however, for the majority of them, five main concepts shape the nature of forensic examination: transfer, identification, classification/individualization, association, and reconstruction. The concepts of identification, classification/individualization, and association rely greatly on analytical chemistry techniques. It is, therefore, no stretch to see how one of the rising stars of analytical chemistry techniques, Raman spectroscopy, could be of use. Raman spectroscopy is known for needing a small amount of sample, being non-destructive, and very substance specific, all of which make it ideal for analyzing crime scene evidence. The purpose of this chapter is to show the state of new methods development for forensic applications based on Raman spectroscopy published between 2015 and 2017.

The following compendium reviews the development and establishment of optical spectroscopy as an analytical method for battery material components and electrochemical reactions. The interaction of light with matter is a sensitive and non-destructive way to characterize any sample state, i.e. solids, liquids or gases. Special attention is devoted to infrared and ultraviolet spectroscopy, covering a wavelength range from 12 μm to 200 nm, as well as Raman scattering spectroscopy, in order to excite different vibrational/rotational lattice modes and transitions of valence electrons. This allows an insight into structural properties, chemical composition, oxidation states or kinetic processes. The development of spectroelectrochemical in situ cells allows the investigation of various battery components, e.g. working and counter electrode, separator, electrolyte as well as interfaces between these components. These powerful tools allow the evaluation of the functionality, stability and safety aspects of an electrochemical storage cell.

This chapter highlights the utility of electrophilic achiral and chiral organoselenium reagents in organic synthesis. A range of reactions from alkene functionalizations, the functionalization of aliphatic and aromatic C–H bonds using stoichiometric and catalytic approaches as well as rearrangement reactions are described. In addition, the utility of organotellurium reagents in organic synthesis is covered in this chapter.

The tools of cheminformatics are used for describing chemical structures for use in computer databases and in analyzing the connections between structure and molecular properties. As several aspects of Green Chemistry are also concerned with structure, properties and the relationships between them, cheminformatics provides tools that can be valuable in the teaching of Green Chemistry. This paper will provide an introduction to cheminformatics with a special emphasis on its value in chemical education and Green Chemistry.

This chapter is a short introduction into the data analysis pipeline, which is typically utilized to analyze Raman spectra. We empathized in the chapter that this data analysis pipeline must be tailored to the specific application of interest. Nevertheless, the tailored data analysis pipeline consists always of the same general procedures applied sequentially. The utilized procedures correct for artefacts, standardize the measured spectral data and translate the spectroscopic signals into higher level information. These computational procedures can be arranged into separate groups namely data pre-treatment, pre-processing and modeling. Thereby the pre-treatment aims to correct for non-sample-dependent artefacts, like cosmic spikes and contributions of the measurement device. The block of procedures, which needs to be applied next, is called pre-processing. This group consists of smoothing, baseline correction, normalization and dimension reduction. Thereafter, the analysis model is constructed and the performance of the models is evaluated. Every data analysis pipeline should be composed of procedures of these three groups and we describe every group in this chapter. After the description of data pre-treatment, pre-processing and modeling, we summarized trends in the analysis of Raman spectra namely model transfer approaches and data fusion. At the end of the chapter we tried to condense the whole chapter into guidelines for the analysis of Raman spectra.

Green chemistry education requires learning about the scientific facts of chemistry of the environment and also applying the implications of this knowledge to human lifestyles. All students need to learn how chemistry works as a physical science in its part of the ecological system of our planet. Green chemistry also must be modeled as a lifestyle so that this knowledge can be properly applied. In this chapter, the author describes how various green chemistry topics have been incorporated into the science curriculum at Greenhills School. Furthermore, the author also relates how this knowledge is applied in the school setting so that global sustaining principles can be caught by the next generation of our planet’s stewards.

The use of reagents containing bonds between group 14 elements and Se or Te for the self-assembly of polynuclear metal–chalcogen compounds is covered. Background material is briefly reviewed and examples from the literature are highlighted from the period 2007–2017. Emphasis is placed on the different classes of 14–16 precursors and their application in the targeted synthesis of metal–chalcogen compounds. The unique properties arising from the combination of specific 14–16 precursors, metal atoms, and ancillary ligands are also described. Selected examples are chosen to underline the progress in (i) controlled synthesis of heterometallic (ternary) chalcogen clusters, (ii) chalcogen clusters with organic functionalized surfaces, and (iii) crystalline open-framework metal chalcogenides.

Gold alloys and silver alloys have always been widely employed in the production of significant objects. With high reflectivity, precious metals are perceived as both materials and colours, and can be skilfully combined to produce metallic polychrome effects. Because their structure and composition contain information on their manufacture, use, disclaim and degradation, items in gold and in silver enclose major information on the technologies employed by past societies and on exchange networks. This information can be acquired using appropriate analytical protocols, established according to the nature of the query and the characteristics of the objects. By using physicochemical techniques, it is possible to identify the technologies, materials and tools used by the artisan and, in particular cases, to situate the sources of raw materials and the workshops producing the objects, as well as to follow the trade routes. The aim of this work is to outline major achievements in the study of goldwork and silverwork based on the different physicochemical methods that are available, and to refer the analytical difficulties that have to be faced when studying objects made from precious metals. Based on several examples, three topics are addressed. The first concerns the major role of the techniques of exam when describing shaping, decorating, assembling and finishing; the second considers the search for metallic polychrome effects in some cultural areas; and the third discusses the challenging question of fingerprinting. A fourth section is dedicated to a short reflection on the difficulties related to the identification of the atmospheric corrosion mechanisms of precious metals.