Chemputer and chemputation formalise a universal chemical synthesis machine
A new paper from the Cronin Group, published in PNAS, presents the Chemputer as a universal chemical compound synthesis machine and sets out a formal framework for treating chemical synthesis as a form of computation. The study introduces a Chemical Synthesis Turing Machine (CSTM), in which reagents, process conditions and catalysts are encoded in executable chemical programs that can be compiled onto modular hardware and run with closed-loop control. A key advance is the formal inclusion of dynamic error detection and correction during reaction, work-up and purification, which the authors argue is essential if programmable systems are to make stable, isolable molecules reliably and in analytically detectable amounts. By linking this framework to assembly theory, the paper also provides a quantitative way to relate molecular complexity to the resources and fidelity required for synthesis. Drawing on more than 100 χDL programs executed on modular Chemputers, the work lays the foundations for shareable chemical code, interoperable hardware and a machine-verifiable route to exploring chemical space.
The full paper is available open access on the PNAS website.