What molecules should we make with a chemputer robot?

 When I enter the average synthetic chemistry laboratory I’m often struck by the familiarity of the setting, regardless of where I am in the world. There are benches, fume hoods, evaporators and large amounts of glassware. All this kit is used in chemical synthesis – an art form that has largely remained unchanged for hundreds of years. Day in, day out, the average synthetic chemist is tied to the fume hood as they carry out tricky but repetitive solid and liquid-handling operations. But what if it was possible to digitise the ability to make complex chemical compounds on demand?