Synthesis of antivirals applying Green Chemistry principles

Abstract

Green chemistry aims at reducing and eliminating the use or generation of hazardous substances by designing alternative routes and choosing methodologies with environmental and safety considerations. This area was born in the 1990s motivated by concern about the effects that chemical compounds could have on human health and the environment. This is in this light that P. Anastas and J. Wagner developed a sort of guide for implementing sustainable processes summarized in the named twelve principles of green chemistry. In 2019, the Green Deal was launched in Europe, which intends to adapt EU policy in fighting climate change. Among the initiatives, the chemicals strategy for sustainability published by the European Commission supports the adoption of green chemistry principles in the European chemical industry. The pharmaceutical sector is an economically important sector in Europe. This industry is particularly characterized by a complex and highly selective chemistry, which in turn generates a high waste/product ratio. This is why the EU proposes a strategy focused on promoting a more sustainable and affordable drug synthesis. After the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, in coming years antivirals will probably be one of most demanded types of drugs. In fact, there is scientific evidence of the link between climate change and future pandemics, so the development of new antivirals will be strongly needed. In this TFG project, a bibliographic search was done on examples of antiviral synthesis in which the green chemistry principles were applied, focusing on the main shortcomings of pharmaceutical chemistry. These methods include the use of more efficient catalysts, safer solvents or auxiliaries, and sustainable energies. These methodologies have been particularly analysed and compared with common procedures, and their advantages are discussed in terms of sustainability and safety