Fully automated synthesis robot sets new record in stereospecific carbon–carbon bond formation
The robotic platform can make six carbon–carbon bonds without human guidance
A totally automated synthesis that allows carbon chains to be grown one atom at a time with control of chain length and stereochemistry has been developed. ‘Mimicking nature’s work, we have instructed a robotic platform to build complex structures in an iterative manner, joining together small units like a Lego set,’ explains Valerio Fasano who works with Varinder Aggarwal at the University of Bristol in the UK. The new system can make six carbon–carbon bonds in a row without human participation. This is the highest number of iterations ever reported for an automated synthesis of carbon chains, says Fasano. ‘We hope to push this record even further.’