Ibuprofen: Original Versus Green Synthesis

Abstract

This paper makes a parallel between the original route versus the green route of Ibuprofen (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs most commonly recommended) synthesis. The original route contained six steps with stoichiometric reagents (some reagents are very toxic: hydrochloric acid, ammonia), a lot of intermediate products, relatively low atom efficiency equal to 40.04% and substantial inorganic salt formation (aluminium trichloride hydrate). The green route of Ibuprofen synthesis developed only three steps, a lower amount of waste and by-products (only acetic acid that can be used for another applications) and an atom efficiency of 77.44%. The green route for Ibuprofen synthesis is an exquisite example of a simple and elegant chemical/pharmaceutical manufacturing process and the nearly complete atom utilization of this streamlined process truly makes it a waste-minimizing, environmentally friendly technology.