Synthesis of many different types of organic small molecules using one automated process

Small-molecule synthesis usually relies on procedures that are highly customized for each target. A broadly applicable automated process could greatly increase the accessibility of this class of compounds to enable investigations of their practical potential. Here we report the synthesis of 14 distinct classes of small molecules using the same fully automated process. This was achieved by strategically expanding the scope of a building block-based synthesis platform to include even C(sp3)-rich polycyclic natural product frameworks and discovering a catch-and-release chromatographic purification protocol applicable to all of the corresponding intermediates. With thousands of compatible building blocks already…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Award: 747778
• HH
  Howard Hughes Medical Institute
• BS
  Bristol-Myers Squibb
• NI
  National Institutes of Health

  Awards: GM080436, GM090153