Green Analytical Chemistry (GAC): Metrics, Method Development, and Regulatory Acceptance

Abstract

In order to reduce environmental effect while preserving analytical efficiency, precision, and dependability, Green Analytical Chemistry (GAC) has evolved as a novel and sustainable technique that incorporates the concepts of green chemistry with analytical sciences. The development of greener analytical techniques has quickened due to growing concerns about the excessive use of hazardous chemicals, high energy requirements, and production of toxic waste from current analytical methods. The basic ideas and twelve principles of GAC are thoroughly covered in this review, with a focus on waste reduction, cleaner solvents and reagents, energy efficiency, miniaturization, automation, and real-time analysis. The principles, applications, strengths, and limitations of several greenness assessment tools, such as the National Environmental Methods Index (NEMI), Analytical Eco-Scale, Green Analytical Procedure Index (GAPI), Modified GAPI (MoGAPI), Analytical GREEnness Metric (AGREE), and Greenness Evaluation Metric for Analytical Methods (GEMAM), are critically examined. With an emphasis on the incorporation of Analytical Quality by Design (AQbD), the use of environmentally safe solvents, miniaturized analytical platforms, and cutting-edge sample preparation methods like solid-phase microextraction and microwave-assisted extraction, the review also highlights recent developments in the development of green analytical methods. To illustrate the usefulness of GAC, applications in the food, pharmaceutical, environmental, and bioanalytical domains are examined. Additionally, the present state of regulatory adoption of green analytical methods by international organizations, such as the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the International Council for Harmonization (ICH), is reviewed.Future prospects on artificial intelligence-assisted optimization and sustainability-oriented analytical workflows are also discussed, along with challenges related to greenness evaluation, method sensitivity, and universal standardization