Q.Explain atom economy with suitable example.
Step 1. Define atom economy (Section 16.3.2). Atom economy measures the amount of atoms from the starting materials that end up in the useful product at the end of a chemical process; good atom economy means most reactant atoms are incorporated into the desired product, with only small amounts of unwanted byproduct.
Step 2. State the formula. % atom economy = (formula weight of the desired product / sum of formula weights of all reactants used) x 100.
Step 3. Work the example. For CH3CH2CH2CH2OH + NaBr + H2SO4 -> CH3CH2CH2CH2Br + NaHSO4 + H2O, the desired product 1-bromobutane has formula weight (4C+9H+1Br) = 137 u; the reactants together have formula weight (4C+12H+5O+1Br+1Na+1S) = 275 u.
Step 4. Compute. % atom economy = (137/275) x 100 = 49.81%.
% atom economy = 49.81% for the butan-1-ol -> 1-bromobutane conversion (137 u / 275 u x 100).
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