Chemistry & Chemical Engineering - Universal Chemical Synthesis Machine

Problem Statement: Create a fully automated synthesis platform capable of planning and executing the synthesis of virtually any organic molecule without human intervention, from commonly available starting materials, with efficiency comparable to expert human chemists.

Why This Exemplifies the Field: This would represent the culmination of chemical synthesis methodology, requiring integration of all aspects of chemistry from reaction mechanisms to process engineering, fundamentally transforming how chemistry is practiced.

Evaluation Criteria:

• Ability to synthesize compounds from multiple structural classes

• Success rate >90% for molecules of pharmaceutical complexity

• Automated retrosynthetic planning using accessible starting materials

• Execution of complete syntheses without human intervention

• Synthesis efficiency (steps, yield, time) comparable to expert human chemists

• Integration of real-time reaction monitoring and pathway optimization

• Handling of air/moisture-sensitive reactions and diverse reaction conditions

Feasibility Assessment: Very challenging, likely requiring 10-20 years. Requires integration of artificial intelligence, robotics, and chemical expertise. Progress in machine learning for retrosynthetic analysis, flow chemistry, in-line analytics, and robust reactor designs would be important precursors.

Impact on the Field: Would revolutionize chemical synthesis, potentially democratizing access to complex molecules. Would accelerate drug discovery and materials development by removing synthetic bottlenecks. May transform chemistry education and practice by automating routine synthesis while elevating human creativity to address more complex challenges.