Cited by 611Computational Drug Discovery MethodsAI-based Problem Solving and PlanningHistory and advancements in chemistry

Computer‐Assisted Synthetic Planning: The End of the Beginning

Szymkuć, Sara, Gajewska, Ewa P., Klucznik, Tomasz, Molga, Karol, Dittwald, Piotr, Startek, Michał, Bajczyk, Michał, Grzybowski, Bartosz A.·2016·Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Abstract

Exactly half a century has passed since the launch of the first documented research project (1965 Dendral) on computer‐assisted organic synthesis. Many more programs were created in the 1970s and 1980s but the enthusiasm of these pioneering days had largely dissipated by the 2000s, and the challenge of teaching the computer how to plan organic syntheses earned itself the reputation of a “mission impossible”. This is quite curious given that, in the meantime, computers have “learned” many other skills that had been considered exclusive domains of human intellect and creativity—for example, machines can nowadays play chess better than human world champions and they can compose classical music pleasant to the human ear. Although there have been no similar feats in organic synthesis, this Review argues that to concede defeat would be premature. Indeed, bringing together the combination of modern computational power and algorithms from graph/network theory, chemical rules (with full stereo‐ and regiochemistry) coded in appropriate formats, and the elements of quantum mechanics, the machine can finally be “taught” how to plan syntheses of non‐trivial organic molecules in a matter of seconds to minutes. The Review begins with an overview of some basic theoretical concepts essential for the big‐data analysis of chemical syntheses. It progresses to the problem of optimizing pathways involving known reactions. It culminates with discussion of algorithms that allow for a completely de novo and fully automated design of syntheses leading to relatively complex targets, including those that have not been made before. Of course, there are still things to be improved, but computers are finally becoming relevant and helpful to the practice of organic‐synthetic planning. Paraphrasing Churchill's famous words after the Allies’ first major victory over the Axis forces in Africa, it is not the end, it is not even the beginning of the end, but it is the end of the beginning for the computer‐assisted synthesis planning. The machine is here to stay.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1002/anie.201506101

Cites

173 of 173 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Szymkuć, S., Gajewska, E. P., Klucznik, T., Molga, K., Dittwald, P., Startek, M., Bajczyk, M., & Grzybowski, B. A.
Affiliations
  • Institute of Organic Chemistry (PL)
  • University of Warsaw (PL)
  • Institute for Basic Science (KR)
Corresponding author
Grzybowski, Bartosz A.
Venue
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2016-04-08
Volume
55
Issue
20
Pages
5904-5937
ISSN
  • 1433-7851 (ISSN-L)
  • 1521-3773
OpenAlex
W2324964582
Cited by
611
References
173
Citations by year
2026: 46 · 2025: 58 · 2024: 61 · 2023: 62 · 2022: 65 · 2021: 83 · 2020: 84 · 2019: 69 · 2018: 48 · 2017: 26 · 2016: 9
FWCI
3.96
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Angewandte Chemie International Edition (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Scholarworks@UNIST (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Symfonia Award (UMO-2014/12/W/ST5/00592)
  • Polish National Science Center
  • Institute for Basic Science Korea (IBS-R020-D1)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computational Theory and Mathematics › Computational Drug Discovery Methods
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Artificial Intelligence › AI-based Problem Solving and Planning
  • Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Physical and Theoretical Chemistry › History and advancements in chemistry
Keywords
synthetic planning, DENDRAL, graph theory

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review