CHM 203: Inorganic Molecules,

Materials & Medicines

Lecture 1-3

Basker Sundararaju
basker@iitk.ac.in
 Course Instructors

Basker Sundararaju Anantharaj Sengeni (I/C)

Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur
Email: basker@iitk.ac.in Email: ananths@iitk.ac.in

Tutor(s): Ms. Shivangi S. Chauhan Email: shivangis22@iitk.ac.in

Mr. Harihara Subramanian Email: shivangis22@iitk.ac.in
Lecture time: 9 – 9.50 am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Office hours: Stop by as needed or feel free to make an
appointment.
Books: As per FCH.
Total classes : 36 x 1.0 h = 36 h
Course Outline: (FCH contains more detailed content)
Module I: Life with Oxygen
Module II: Metals and Medicine
Module III: Electron Transfer Process
Module IV: Catalysis and Sustainability
Classes from 6th Jan ‘25 - 17th Apr ’14.
Mid-semester exam Feb 21 - 28 ’25.
End-semester exam April 26 – May 6 ’25.
last day of classes before Mid sem: 19th Feb 2025
Mid sem recess: Mar 8-16, 2025
last day of classes before end sem: 23rd Apr 2025

Unless, otherwise mentioned all classes will be conducted

as per schedule. There will be intimation if there is any
change.
 Grading Policy
Exam schedule Marks
Mid-Sem Examination 35
End-Sem Examination 35
Quiz (Two quiz) 10
Tutorials 05
Attendance 05
Total Marks 100
 Module IV: Catalysis and Sustainability
The module begins by exploring catalysis, a field recognized with numerous Nobel Prizes,
emphasizing the critical role of catalysts and their design. It will cover the fundamentals of
organometallic chemistry, showing how these principles inform the understanding and
design of homogeneous catalytic processes. The course will examine the catalytic activity
of key catalysts and their industrial applications, alongside recent advances in Green
Chemistry, focusing on sustainable chemical synthesis and processes.

The discussion will then move to biocatalytic conversions, treating enzymes as large ligands
with unique surfaces, and exploring the surface chemistry of supported catalysts. The
course will also address polymer production, introducing polymer chemistry and properties,
and examining synthetic routes and innovations for improved materials. Special attention
will be given to enhancing sustainability in polymer synthesis, particularly through novel
catalysts for free radical polymerization. Besides, we may also briefly study about the
circular economy and how that helps in recycling or upcycling of polymers. The final section
will integrate these topics through case studies, emphasizing the role of catalysts in
designing sustainable chemical processes.
 CHEMICAL SYNTHESIS
EVERYTHING AROUND YOU HAS BEEN MADE, ATLEAST IN PART BY CHEMICAL SYNTHESIS

Half of your Nitrogen in your body is from NH3 Synthesis

The FOSSIL
(20th)
Century
The Structure of Chemical Industry
Crude Oil

93%
7%

Feed
Fuel Stocks Polymers
(energy)

Commodity
Chemicals

Transportation Pharmaceuticals
& Specialty &
Fine
Heating Chemicals
Source image: Google
List of 17 Goals (SDG’s)
Relevant Chemistry and Life
Challenge 1:
Air Pollution
Air Pollution
Challenge 2: Climate Change
CO2 Emission
Some Good News
Challenge in
Energy
Storage
Sustainable
Carbon Cycle
Challenge 3:
Polymer Waste
Sustainable Ways to Produce Chemicals
Examples of Commodity Chemicals
Synthesis of Complex Molecules
Chemists versus Nature
Chemist Make What Nature Cannot
Chemist Make What Nature Cannot
 Sustainability
1. What is sustainable?
2. How does it relate chemistry and life?
- the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level
- avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance

Energy
Circular Clean, renewable energy
Energy efficiency

Reduced emission (green house gas, CO2)

Material from renewable resources
Atom-economical processes!
 Chemicals and Materials

• Exclusive dependence on Fossil Fuel

resources

• Generation of wastes that needs to be

disposal

Sustainability is the key concern of science,

technology, industry and society today

Can Chemicals and Materials Needs of Humankind be based on the concept of

sustainability of both resources and environment?
 Green
Lecture 2: Metrics
Green Metrics

4.I10 Green Chemistry Lecture 2 Slide 1

How can we measure the ”greenness” of the reaction?
 Twelve Principles in Green Chemistry
Imperial College
The Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry: Summary London

Reduction in: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Materials

Waste

Hazards

Toxicity

Environmental impact

Energy

Cost

4.I10-2-7
Syntheses of Dimethyl Carbonate
Two syntheses of dimethyl carbonate - which is greener? Imperial College
London

1. Traditional synthesis from phosgene and methanol

phosgene

2. Modern synthesis - methanol carbonylation

Route 2 is preferred since it avoids the use of phosgene and it gives less
harmful side-products (route 2 also produces purer product, so energy
intensive purification steps are eliminated).

Some decisions are straightforward

Syntheses of Lactic Acid – Which is Greener?
Imperial College
Two syntheses of lactic acid (HOCHMeCO2H) - which is greener? London

1. Chemical – hydrocyanation of acetaldehyde

1. Biochemical – fermentation of sugars or starch

Reactor 1: fermentation; 2: salt formation; 3: filtration; 4: hydrolysis

Lecture 2 learning objectives - you should now be able to:
An Ideal Reaction will satisfy all three!
London

(i)discuss (but not memorise) the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry

(ii) calculate Atom Economies, E-factors and Effective Mass Yields

FW of desired product(s)
Atom Economy = x 100 %
Combined FW of starting materials

kgs of waste produced

E-factor =
kgs of desired product

mass of desired product

EMY = x 100 %
mass of non-benign reagents
 Atom Economy
** The concept of atom economy (AE) was introduced in 1991 by Barry M. Trost at Stanford University

• Atom economy has since sparked a “green” paradigm shift, as chemists began
viewing reactions in terms of how much of the reactants are converted into a
desired product.

• With the goal of achieving “synthetic efficiency in transforming readily available

starting materials to the final target”, the primary motivation was to maximize the
incorporation of reactant atoms into final products.

• This goal has led many chemists to focus their attention on adopting and
developing processes that were inherently atom-efficient
 Atom Economy

- The ideal atom economy for a chemical transformation is taken as the process where all reactant atoms
are found in the desired product.

- This calculation extends to a multi-step process where intermediates that are formed in one step and
consumed during a later step are neglected.

- Firstly, a reactant is understood as any material that is incorporated into an intermediate or product
during the synthesis. This includes protecting groups, catalysts used in stoichiometric quantities and acids
or bases used for hydrolysis. Solvents, reagents or materials used in catalytic quantities are omitted from
the analysis, as they do not contribute atoms to an intermediate and/or product.
Atom Economy
Atom Economy – Example - I
Atom Economy – Example - II
Atom Economy – Example - III

233.07 + 114.10
Atom Economy – Example - IV
Atom Economy – Example - V

Atom economy calculation for the penicillin acylase-catalyzed production

of 6-aminopenicillanic acid (6-APA)
 Green Chemistry

Product tons p.a. kg waste/ kg product

Oil refining 106 - 108 ca 0.1
E-factor (kg/kg)
raw material
Bulk Chemicals 104 - 106 <1-5

E = kg waste/kg product product

Fine Chemicals 102 - 104 5 - 50

waste
Pharmaceuticals 10 - 103 25 - 100+

E factor = Amount of waste/Amount of product

R. A. Sheldon “Consider the Environmental Quotient”, ChemTech, 1994, 38.

 E-Factor – Example I

Total amount of reactants: 500 mg + 200 mg + 3.15 mg + 5.75 g = 6.48 g

Amount of final product: 203 mg., assuming that the same amount of phenol and platinum
salt used in the beginning are retained in the final catalyst.

Amount of waste: (6.48 – 0.203) g = 6.277 g

Chem. Commun., 2008, 3181

 E-Factor – Example II

Total amount of reactants: 0.150 g + 16.65 g + 0.15 g + 1.288 g = 18.178 g

Amount of final product: 1.328 g, assuming that the same amount of PVP and platinum salt
used in the beginning retain in the final catalyst.

Amount of waste: (18.178 – 1.328) g = 16.85 g

E-Factor = Amount of waste/Amount of product = 6.277/0.203 = 12.68

Chem. Commun., 2007, 4375

 E-Factor – Example III

Total amount of reactants: 3.2 g + 0.372 g + 5.22 g = 8.792

Amount of final product: 3.4 g

Amount of waste: (8.792 – 3.4) g = 5.392 g

E-Factor = Amount of waste/Amount of product = 5.392/3.4 = 1.58 Total E factor = 2.81+1.58 = 4.39
What are the challenges for the sustainable chemical industry
today?

• reduce chemical waste,

• improve the selectivity and efficiency of synthetic
processes

The design and synthesis of recoverable

and recyclable catalysts

Ludwigshaven in Germany
What is Catalyst?
Catalyst Design Meeting the Grand Challenges
Catalysis can have strong influence in Human health

1973
(Wilkinson/Fischer
Organometallics)

1963 (Zigler Natta)

1918 (Haber –NH )3

1912 (Sabatier Hydrogenation)

1900 (Ostwald concept)

Source image: Google

 Power of Catalysis

Nobel Prize in Chemistry (TM Catalysis)

2001 2005 2010

Asymmetric Catalysis Olefin Metathesis Cross-coupling

Source image: Google