Abstract:

Sustainability has become a key pillar of modern analytical chemistry, evolving from the traditional Green Analytical Chemistry (GAC) paradigm towards more comprehensive and multidimensional evaluation frameworks. Approaches such as White Analytical Chemistry (WAC) integrate environmental impact (green), analytical performance (red), and practical and economic aspects (blue), while emerging metrics continue to expand the scope of sustainability assessment. Despite their increasing relevance in research and professional practice, these tools are rarely incorporated into undergraduate education, where analytical method selection is often presented as a purely technical task.

This work presents the design of an innovative educational module aimed at introducing students to sustainability and analytical performance metrics through a literature-based, problem-oriented learning approach. Students assume the role of analytical consultants tasked with evaluating and recommending the most sustainable analytical methodology for a given analytical application based on multidimensional assessment criteria. Using published methods, they evaluate and compare alternative approaches by applying tools such as AGREE and GAPI, together with analytical performance and practical indicators, considering criteria including environmental impact, analytical quality, cost, time efficiency, and operational complexity.

A central component of the activity is the critical reflection on the scope, complementarity, and limitations of different metrics. Students examine the challenges associated with interpreting sustainability scores, the ambiguity of certain evaluation criteria, and the difficulty of directly comparing methodologies assessed under different frameworks. This process allows them to recognize that analytical method selection involves balancing multiple and sometimes conflicting factors, rather than optimizing a single parameter.

This educational strategy promotes critical thinking, systems thinking, and evidence-based decision-making, while strengthening students’ ability to interpret scientific literature and justify methodological choices. Furthermore, the module is fully transferable and can be implemented without additional laboratory resources, making it accessible to a wide range of educational contexts. By integrating sustainability metrics into analytical chemistry education, this approach helps prepare students to address real-world analytical challenges using a holistic and responsible perspective.

Keywords:

Analytical chemistry education, sustainability metrics, analytical methodology assessment, problem-based learning, critical thinking, higher education.