SFC Points to Greener Path for Chromatography

Green chemistry has been reshaping how laboratories operate, and few areas are feeling that pressure more than liquid chromatography (LC), which traditionally leans on solvents like acetonitrile and methanol. Both are effective, but both come with real downsides: acetonitrile is toxic, and prone to price swings, while methanol carries its own environmental and safety concerns. As green chemistry principles become standard practice in laboratories worldwide, researchers are increasingly asking whether these workhorse solvents can be swapped out for greener alternatives, and whether that swap can hold up beyond simple, best-case laboratory conditions.