CA+-+Go+Fix+It+-+Annotation+2

Claudia Anzini Annotation 2 “Green Chemistry Tools to Influence a Medicinal Chemistry and Research Chemistry Based Organization”


 * Full citation. **

Alfonsi, Kim, Juan Colberg, Peter J. Dunn, Thomas Fevig, Sandra Jennings, Timothy A. Johnson, H. Peter Kleine, et al. “Green Chemistry  Tools to Influence a Medicinal Chemistry and Research Chemistry Based Organisation.” Green Chemistry 10, no. 1 (2008): 31.  doi:10.1039/b711717e.


 * Where does the author work, what else has s/he written about, and what are her/his credentials? **


 * 1) Kim Alfonsi – Associate Director of EHS: Pfizer Global Research and Development, Ann Arbor, Michigan
 * 2) Juan Colberg – Director: Pfizer Global Research and Development, Groton, Connecticut
 * 3) Peter J. Dunn – Green Chemistry Lead: Pfizer Global Research and Development, Sandwich, Kent
 * 4) Thomas Fevig – Associate Research Fellow: Pfizer Global Research and Development, Chesterfield, Missouri
 * 5) Sandra Jennings – Senior Scientist: Pfizer Global Research and Development, Ann Arbor, Michigan
 * 6) Timothy A. Johnson – Principal Scientist: Pfizer Global Research and Development, Groton, Connecticut
 * 7) H. Peter Kleine – Associate Director: Pfizer Global Research and Development, Chesterfield, Missouri
 * 8) Craig Knight – Principal Scientist: Pfizer Global Research and Development, Sandwich, Kent
 * 9) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">Mark A. Nagy – Senior Scientist: Pfizer Global Research and Development, Chesterfield, Missouri
 * 10) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">David A. Perry – Associate Research Fellow: Pfizer Global Research and Development, Groton, Connecticut
 * 11) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">Mark Stefaniak - Pfizer Global Research and Development, Sandwich, Kent


 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">What is the main topic or argument of the text? **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">The main focus of “Green Chemistry Tools to Influence a Medicinal Chemistry and Research Chemistry Based Organization” is to present tools for the pharmaceutical industry that can be implemented to make chemical processes greener. Pfizer has been working on greening up their pharmaceutical practices for years and would like to continue to not only improve the current state of green pharmaceuticals, but help make this information more widely available to companies.


 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Describe at least three ways that the main topic or argument is fleshed out. **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">This article discusses many reasons behind why the pharmaceutical industry is currently in the state it is and generates lists of easy solutions. It goes on to explain that the pharmaceutical industry relies heavily on producing a product as quickly as possible with no regards to its environmental impact. With new legislation regulating process chemical industry, there has been some change, but this change has yet to catch up with medicinal chemists. Pfizer, a leading pioneer in the pharmaceutical industry, is encouraging medicinal chemists to favor green chemical paths when researching new drugs and is even willing to help them along the way.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">One of their main focuses has been to develop a solvent selection tool and make it widely available. They took current solvent guides, such as Fisher’s //Green Chem//, and sought to improve them with even stricter assessments of the alternative chemicals given. During this assessment, Pfizer had three major guidelines that they used to critiqued solvent uses; worker safety, process safety, and environmental and regulatory considerations. These guidelines helped develop a solvent replacement table. Since this idea of green chemistry is still in its infancy, not all solvents were given completely harmless alternatives. Instead, some solvents listed as being alternatives are the ‘lesser of two evils.’ As research is continued, better chemicals will be found to replace the hazardous ones currently popular in industrial practice.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Pfizer has also begun to develop a reagent guide for their chemists. While the guidelines for this guide were very similar, there was a new emphasis on raising the awareness of this guide. This is due to the large amount of reagents being used in industry today. With so many in circulation and little information available on the impacts of using certain reagents over others, it is critical that this information get out. Pfizer has begun to tackle this mountainous task and has discovered many good alternatives, but while some alternative reagents seem promising, they don’t have the same robustness as some of the common ones being used.


 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">What three quotes capture the critical import of the text? **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">“The modern practice of drug discovery relies heavily on speed of execution, which in turn relies on robust methodologies emphasizing reliability rather than environmental impact.”

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">“We wanted the guide to achieve three purposes… To provide easy access to the chemical literature or procedures for reagents that score well in the assessment… To raise awareness of newer emerging green methodologies.”

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">“The experience within Pfizer has demonstrated that the medicinal chemistry population is very receptive to changing work habits in response to our green chemistry outreach initiatives… Key to these successes has been the philosophy of encouragement and education rather than obligation and scrutiny.”


 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Explain how the argument and evidence in the text supports your research focus. **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">This article focuses mainly on the direct chemistry being applied to medicinal chemistry, but the message of my research stills rings true; green chemistry is making a beneficial impact on the chemical industry. Pfizer is helping to make all of this possible by doing to footwork for a lot of chemists. By making these chemical guides and providing easy access to them, it allows chemists who don’t have the educational background in green chemistry to continue to produce what they want in a more sustainable way. Pfizer is also encouraging more education on green chemistry, so that research such as theirs can continue and improve.


 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">List at least two details or references from the text that you have used in your presentation and wiki post. **


 * 1) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">Pfizer has begun research on alternative chemical solutions
 * 2) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">They are making these solutions widely available for public use.
 * 3) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">They are focusing on the whole impact of the chemical process, including the health implications, not just the environmental ones.