https://phys.org/news/2018-06-modern-alchemists-chemistry-greener.html

"Pharmaceutical discovery and process involve all sorts of exotic elements," Chirik said. "We started this program maybe 10 years ago, and it was really motivated by cost. Metals like rhodium and platinum are really expensive, but as the work has evolved, we realized that there's a lot more to it than simply pricing. ... There are huge environmental concerns, if you think about digging up platinum out of the ground. Typically, you have to go about a mile deep and move 10 tons of earth. That has a massive carbon dioxide footprint."

Chirik and his research team partnered with chemists from Merck & Co., Inc., to find more environmentally friendly ways to create the materials needed for modern drug chemistry. The collaboration has been enabled by the National Science Foundation's Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) program.