University of Missouri researchers have developed an innovative, eco-friendly chemical tool that could reduce the cost of producing medicines and support the development of clean energy technologies, particularly those aimed at eliminating per- and polyfluoroalkyls, commonly known as “forever-chemicals”, from water sources. Their discovery, published in Angewandte Chemie, a journal of the German Chemical Society, uses a novel electrochemistry approach to build new molecules by using tiny molecular structures derived from naturally occurring amino acids and coconut oil.

 The innovative approach replaces hazardous solvents with a non-toxic alternative, thereby mitigating the environmental impact of conventional chemical processes and offering sustainable solutions for the production and storage of clean energy. This advancement could help improve the development of medicines and may be used to treat hyperproliferative, inflammatory and immunoregulatory diseases.