Organic chemistry

Intervention (counseling)

Mathematics

Retrosynthetic analysis

Psychiatry

Machine learning

Engineering

Catalysis

Artificial intelligence

Psychology

Chemistry

Geometry

Sequence (biology)

Organic solvent

Total synthesis

Flow (mathematics)

Computer science

Robotics

Chemical engineering

Organic synthesis

Biochemistry

Robot

Science

Pairing prediction and robotic synthesis Progress in automated synthesis of organic compounds has been proceeding along parallel tracks. One goal is algorithmic prediction of viable routes to a desired compound; the other is implementation of a known reaction sequence on a platform that needs little to no human intervention. Coley et al. now report preliminary integration of these two protocols. They paired a retrosynthesis prediction algorithm with a robotically reconfigurable flow apparatus. Human intervention was still required to supplement the predictor with practical considerations such as solvent choice and precise stoichiometry, although predictions should improve as accessible data accumulate for training. Science , this issue p. eaax1566

A robotic platform for flow synthesis of organic compounds informed by AI planning