The Search for New Environmentally Friendly Chemical Processes.

Minimization of the hazards in chemical industry processes and the avoidance of the production of toxic substances-these are the goals of environmentally friendly processes. These technologies can also be economically advantageous. This approach is exemplified by a new, almost ideal atom-efficient oxidative route to adipic acid (1, see scheme), which offers several environmentally improved features compared to the traditional manufacture. [W]=tungsten catalyst.