A new method turns the manufacture of small molecules into a repetitive brick-assembly process that can be entrusted to machines.
Making an organic molecule requires choosing several reactions, then adapting the operations at each step. Martin D. Burke, of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, proposes a different logic. His approach, presented in Science, relies on elements prepared in advance and assembled successively.
A carbon-based molecule.
Pixabay
To understand it, many organic molecules have a framework made of carbon atoms linked together. The method, called “blocc chemistry,” seeks to build this framework through repeated steps. Each “blocc” contributes a portion of the future molecule. The same family of reactions can then connect these pieces through carbon-carbon bonds.
This repetition changes how automation can be approached. A robot no longer needs to reproduce the full diversity of gestures and methods used by a chemist. It can perform a more limited set of standardized operations in sequence, particularly assembly and purification between two steps.
The idea is no longer merely theoretical. More than 300 molecular building blocks developed around this approach are available. They have already been used by hundreds of laboratories to make medicines, agricultural products, diagnostic probes and materials.
The benefits go beyond manufacturing speed alone: more repetitive chemistry also produces better-structured data for artificial intelligence systems. These systems can suggest assemblies, have them made automatically, then use the results obtained to guide subsequent experiments. Earlier work has already combined this method with AI to search for new organic materials.
In practical terms, this could reduce a common research challenge: a molecule that looks promising on a computer must still be physically made and tested. A machine capable of quickly assembling available building blocks would shorten this step. The approach could be used to explore molecules intended for medicines, solar cells or other functional materials.
This easier access also raises a safety question. More automated molecular manufacturing could allow more people to create new compounds. Burke therefore proposes safeguards, including the automatic detection of potentially dangerous molecules and independent controls on the systems used.
The Molecule Maker Lab has created an international group bringing together chemistry, medicine, artificial intelligence, industry and education. Its first discussions are scheduled for August 2026. A joint report on the rules to adopt is expected in early 2027.