A very important feature in the construction of organic compounds is optimizing yields for the many steps involved. A number of important variables for these reactions, e.g. temperature, concentrations, rates of mixing, etc., ideally should be evaluated for each step in the synthesis. This project in the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program is developing robotic techniques which the chemist will find useful in maximizing yields. The Purdue Automatic Synthesis System (PASS) is being developed as a resource for the synthetic organic chemist. When completed, PASS will feature eight variable-temperature reactors, on-line quantitative analysis by HPLC and GC, automated handling of bar-code labeled samples, and dual robotic arms all operating under the control of a hierarchical computer network. By using a menu-driven user interface, the chemist can define the capabilities of the system and the goals of the experiments which will be automatically executed. Experimental designs such as grids, screening procedures (fractional factorials, Plackett-Burman), fitting schemes (central composite, Box-Behnken), and self-directed methods (Simplex or Uniplex) will be available. The goals of this project are completion of the PASS hardware, developing the control software, and exploring the prospects for including artificial intelligence into PASS.
