Green chemistry and economic efficiency in the synthesis of polyfunctional organic compounds: A comparative assessment of conventional and modern methods

Abstract

Polyfunctional organic compounds containing hydroxyl, carbonyl, carboxyl, amino and other functional groups are essential intermediates and products in pharmaceuticals, polymers, food technology, cosmetics and agriculture. Their synthesis, however, can require multiple protection/deprotection stages, hazardous reagents, intensive heating and solvent-demanding purification, all of which affect not only environmental performance but also production cost. This study evaluates conventional and modern synthesis routes from a combined green-chemistry and process-economics perspective. A comparative literature-based assessment is integrated with an illustrative laboratory sequence involving acetic acid, acetyl chloride, acetamide and chlorinated/aminated derivatives. The routes are assessed according to step economy, selectivity, energy demand, solvent and reagent burden, waste generation, safety requirements and scalability. Process mass intensity and the E-factor are introduced as relevant quantitative metrics, although they are not calculated because complete mass-balance data were not available for the laboratory sequence. The comparison indicates that reducing the number of synthetic and purification steps, improving selectivity, adopting catalytic or biocatalytic transformations, selecting safer solvents and using intensified activation methods can lower raw-material consumption, energy use, work-up requirements and waste-management costs. These gains are not automatic: catalyst price, equipment needs and scale-up constraints can offset part of the benefit. The study therefore argues that synthesis-route optimization should combine chemical yield with resource productivity, operational cost and environmental burden when selecting economically viable pathways for polyfunctional compounds.