ReviewChemical science2021
Automation isn't automatic.
Review in Chemical science, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed.
- The past, present and future of self-driving laboratories.Nature reviews. Chemistry · 2026Review
- Organic Chemistry as a Catalyst for AI Innovation: Challenges, Methods, and Emerging Paradigms.Chemical reviews · 2026Review
- The Impact of Continuous Flow Technology and Collaboration between Academia and Industry.JACS Au · 2026Review
- The ADePT framework for assessing autonomous laboratory robotics.Communications chemistry · 2026Review
- Programmable Microwaveable Chemistry in the Chemputer.Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English) · 2026Article
- Utilizing Similarity Measures to Map Chemical Reactivity.Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English) · 2026Article
- Materials Acceleration Platform for Electrochemistry: a Platform for Autonomous Electrochemistry.Npj Materials degradation · 2026Article
- Green Aerogels for Atmospheric Water Harvesting: A PRISMA-Guided Systematic Review of Bio-Derived Materials and Pathways to 2035.Polymers · 2025Review
- Accelerating compound synthesis in drug discovery: the role of digitalisation and automation.RSC medicinal chemistry · 2025Article
- Steering towards safe self-driving laboratories.Nature reviews. Chemistry · 2025Review
- Accelerated Porosity Screening Using a Multichannel Colorimetric Array.Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English) · 2025Article
- Affordable Automated Modules for Lab-Scale High-Throughput Synthesis of Inorganic Materials.Chemistry (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) · 2025Article
- Universal peptide synthesis via solid-phase methods fused with chemputation.Nature communications · 2025Article
- IvoryOS: an interoperable web interface for orchestrating Python-based self-driving laboratories.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Science acceleration and accessibility with self-driving labs.Nature communications · 2025Review
- Article
- Reaction blueprints and logical control flow for parallelized chiral synthesis in the Chemputer.Nature communications · 2024Article
- The Dawn of a New Pharmaceutical Epoch: Can AI and Robotics Reshape Drug Formulation?Advanced healthcare materials · 2024Article
- Self-Driving Laboratories for Chemistry and Materials Science.Chemical reviews · 2024Review
- Calibration-free reaction yield quantification by HPLC with a machine-learning model of extinction coefficients.Chemical science · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Automation has become an increasingly popular tool for synthetic chemists over the past decade. Recent advances in robotics and computer science have led to the emergence of automated systems that execute common laboratory procedures including parallel synthesis, reaction discovery, reaction optimization, time course studies, and crystallization development. While such systems offer many potential benefits, their implementation is rarely automatic due to the highly specialized nature of synthetic procedures. Each reaction category requires careful execution of a particular sequence of steps, the specifics of which change with different conditions and chemical systems. Careful assessment of these critical procedural requirements and identification of the tools suitable for effective experimental execution are key to developing effective automation workflows. Even then, it is often difficult to get all the components of an automated system integrated and operational. Data flows and specialized equipment present yet another level of challenge. Unfortunately, the pain points and process of implementing automated systems are often not shared or remain buried deep in the SI. This perspective provides an overview of the current state of automation of synthetic chemistry at the benchtop scale with a particular emphasis on core considerations and the ensuing challenges of deploying a system. Importantly, we aim to reframe automation as decidedly not automatic but rather an iterative process that involves a series of careful decisions (both human and computational) and constant adjustment.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.