Alternative and sustainable solvents for green analytical chemistry

Analytical chemistry relies massively on solvents, which are generally petroleum-based and have hazardous effects. The ideal alternative solvents suitable for analysis should have high selectivity, solvency, low toxicity, and low environmental impacts, be easily biodegradable and recyclable, and be obtained from renewable resources at a reasonable price. Obviously, finding the ideal solvent that meets all the aforementioned requirements is a big challenge. Therefore, the selection of the optimum solvent will always be a compromise depending on the extraction procedure, the analytical method, the matrix, and the target molecules. In this current opinion, we provide an instantaneous picture of current knowledge on alternative and sustainable solvents used in analytical laboratories either for sample preparation or analysis in terms of innovation and development of safe products and procedures.