A green metrics assessment of phosgene and phosgene-free syntheses of industrially important commodity chemicals

Andraos, John

doi:10.1351/PAC-CON-11-06-12

Pure Appl. Chem., 2012, Vol. 84, No. 3, pp. 827-860

http://dx.doi.org/10.1351/PAC-CON-11-06-12

Published online 2011-11-19

A green metrics assessment of phosgene and phosgene-free syntheses of industrially important commodity chemicals*

John Andraos*

CareerChem, 504-1129 Don Mills Road, Don Mills, ON M3B 2W4, Canada

Abstract: Synthesis plans for the following important industrial commodity chemicals using phosgene and phosgene-free chemistries have been analyzed and compared by green metrics to determine the most material-efficient routes so far developed (number of plans given in parentheses): dimethyl carbonate (DMC) (31), diphenyl carbonate (DPC) (40), diphenylurea (DPU) (23), methyl carbamate (MC) (8), methyl chloroformate (MCF) (6), methyl N-phenylcarbamate (MNPC) (25), methyl phenyl carbonate (MPC) (32), phenyl isocyanate (PI) (19), phenyl chloroformate (PCF) (10), and urea (13). Implications of these results are discussed.

*Pure Appl. Chem. 84, 411–860 (2012). A collection of invited papers for the IUPAC project 2008-016-1-300 “Chlorine-free Synthesis for Green Chemistry”.