Algorithm modelled on Google’s AlphaGo beats chemists at their own game

Planning how to make a molecule is often a difficult process requiring great skill, patience and an equally adept memory. But now a new computer program can sift through millions of chemical reactions to plan a synthesis in a matter of seconds. Chemists often map out a series of complex chemical reactions under a variety of experimental conditions to make a molecule. Such planning involves plenty of trial and error, with countless hours spent consulting the literature before the synthesis is even attempted.