This book covers the synthesis of useful products and intermediates from plant oils, which is a critically important area given current challenge of depleting fossil fuel reserves.

This book provides practical information on obtaining and using a wide variety of plant based reagents for different sectors, addressing the needs and challenges in a single resource. The chapters complement each other seamlessly and present contributions from reputed international researchers and renowned professionals from industry, covering the latest efforts in the field. The book serves as the starting point for future collaborations in the new area “Plant Based Green Chemistry” between research, industry, and education, covering large ecologic and economic applications: perfume, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, food ingredients, nutraceuticals, biofuels, or fine chemicals industries. This book is aimed at professionals from industries, academicians engaged in plant based green chemistry, researchers and graduate level students, but will also be useful to food technologists and students and researchers involved in natural products chemistry.

Green Chemistry concerned with chemical research and engineering that encourages the design of products and processes that minimize the use and generation of hazardous substances. It is effective in controlling the impact of chemicals on human health and the environment. Chemists and chemical engineers applying green chemistry look at the entire life cycle of a product or process, from the origins of the materials used for manufacturing to the ultimate fate of the materials after they have finished their useful life. This book is written especially for researchers at various levels e.g. in industry, R&D Laboratories, University and College laboratories etc. It describes a large number of organic reactions under green conditions. The conditions used are aqueous phase, using PTC catalyst, sonication and microwave technologies.

Green chemistry is a work tool that can be applied in different areas such as medicine, materials, polymers, food, organic chemistry, etc., since it was propounded in the early 2000s. It has become a viable alternative for care, remediation and protection of the environment and has been implemented worldwide. In this book the twelve principles of green chemistry are presented in a simple way, with examples of the applications of green chemistry in numerous areas showcasing it as an ideal alternative for environmental care. It also provides information on current research being implemented at the pilot plant and industrial level. The book demonstrates the importance of the use of renewable raw materials, the use of catalysis and the implementation of alternative energy sources such as the use of microwaves and ultrasound in different separation and chemical processes.

This brief provides a valuable reference for the contribution of essential oils in the green chemistry, mainly in terms of their characteristics corresponding to their compositions, the development of their extraction technologies including both conventional and green process (e.g. microwave, ultrasound), and their sustainable applications as antioxidants, antimicrobials, insecticides, green solvents and synthons for the green synthesis.