Silicone reaction solvents

What is it about?

Silicone oils are based on the elements silicon and oxygen. It is unsurprising that they are made from sand (silica more precisely) which is made from those same elements. This research shows that silicone oils, also called siloxanes, can be used to replace VOC solvents that damage the atmosphere.

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Why is it important?

Solvents are ubiquitous in chemical products and manufacturing. However they are all too often either highly flammable, toxic, or environmentally damaging (sometimes all three!). As part of the search for greener solvents, this research examines the prospects of silicone oils being used as green solvents. We have found that in addition to being safe to the environment they work as well as conventional solvents in some reaction chemistry applications.