title: Camera-enabled techniques for organic synthesis.
abstract: A great deal of time is spent within synthetic chemistry laboratories on non-value-adding activities such as sample preparation and work-up operations, and labour intensive activities such as extended periods of continued data collection. Using digital cameras connected to computer vision algorithms, camera-enabled apparatus can perform some of these processes in an automated fashion, allowing skilled chemists to spend their time more productively. In this review we describe recent advances in this field of chemical synthesis and discuss how they will lead to advanced synthesis laboratories of the future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK.
authors.forename: Steven V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Ley
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Ingham
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: Duncan L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Browne
keywords: automation; computer vision; digital camera; flow chemistry; machine-assisted synthesis