Practical electronics and robotics for chemists

Access through your institution Buy or subscribe TO THE EDITOR — McCluskey and colleagues recently emphasized the importance of computers and coding in chemical education1. I propose that

efforts to enhance programming skills should be complemented by teaching chemistry students the fundamentals of electronics and robotics. Although it is imaginable to address such skill gaps

with collaborations, they are often hard to establish and maintain, owing to the unavailability of potential collaborators, or their lack of interest in chemistry-oriented projects, as well

as the requirement to obtain dedicated funding support. Thus, it is helpful for chemists to possess additional skills that can complement their chemistry knowledge. Also, knowing the basics

of non-chemistry techniques and therefore knowing what is potentially possible when using them can fuel the imagination, enabling chemists to envisage how electronics and robotics can be

implemented in a chemistry setting. A multitude of electronic modules are available nowadays that can readily be integrated into chemistry-related experiments2,3,4. These include monitoring

reaction conditions (temperature, humidity, pH, pressure, gas concentrations, light absorption) using simple sensors, triggering large analytical instruments, acquiring data, and controlling

pumps and valves using relays. Ley and co-workers popularized the use of microcontrollers and single-board computers in the monitoring and control of chemical reactions5, while Cronin and

co-workers presented robotic systems for chemical synthesis6. A dedicated journal _HardwareX_ (https://www.hardware-x.com) regularly publishes designs of instrumentation that can enhance

chemistry procedures (among others), for example an open-source autosampler7 or a 3D printed chemical synthesis robot8. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

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FAQs * Contact customer support REFERENCES * McCluskey, A. R., Rivera, M. & Mey, A. S. J. S. _Nat. Chem._ 16, 1383–1384 (2024). Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar  * Pearce, J. M.

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& Urban, P. L. _Chem. Rev._ 120, 9482–9553 (2020). Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar  * Fitzpatrick, D. E., O’Brien, M. & Ley, S. V. _React. Chem. Eng._ 5, 201–220 (2020). Article

  CAS  Google Scholar  * Salley, D., Manzano, J. S., Kitson, P. J. & Cronin, L. _ACS Cent. Sci._ 9, 1525–1537 (2023). * Murray, G. et al. _HardwareX_ 10, e00220 (2021). Article  PubMed 

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Download references AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan Pawel L. Urban Authors * Pawel L. Urban View author

publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to Pawel L. Urban. ETHICS DECLARATIONS COMPETING INTERESTS The author is on the

editorial board of the journal _HardwareX_ mentioned in the article. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Urban, P.L. Practical electronics

and robotics for chemists. _Nat. Chem._ 17, 1 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-024-01703-w Download citation * Published: 07 January 2025 * Issue Date: January 2025 * DOI:

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