Green Nuclear Chemistry

Today, a successful product requires the analysis of its life-cycle and the potential side-effects of a design solution before it enters the market. Considering a product's impact on the health of a community and its environment is essential.

Green Chemistry Philosophy

Many manufacturers are actively pursuing chemical processing strategies that align with the philosophy of 'Green Chemistry'. Green Chemistry is a philosophy applied to chemical engineering where the creator of a product chooses chemicals or chemical processes that actively reduce or eliminate the negative impact on the environment including waste issues, use of less hazardous chemicals, increased energy efficiency, increased safety and use of renewable materials. Many of the strategies and philosophies deployed in nuclear chemistry, and specifically in the design of radiopharmaceuticals for the last 50 years, are related or similar to the Green Chemistry philosophy.

Nuclear techniques

Nuclear techniques are highly sensitive methods and tools for probing questions at the atomic and molecular level. They are particularly well known in the medical field, where a radiotracer or radiopharmaceutical is designed to specifically locate a disease site or treat it with radiation. A radiotracer can either attach to the surface of a diseased cell or is metabolised in a chemical process that is up regulated in a diseased cell. These radiotracers must survive in the blood system, moving through solid-liquid interfaces, until they reach their target or desired site. They eventually clear after being metabolised.

As most of the radioisotopes in radiopharmaceuticals are short-lived i.e. hours to days, the synthesis of a radiopharmaceutical requires the design of simple, chemically reliable and energy efficient reactions. In addition, only very small quantities of products are used for imaging and treatment so toxicity is kept to a minimum. Given their highly sensitive and specific nature, nuclear techniques could potentially play a significant role in answering many of the challenging scientific questions in the nano and micro-technology field today.