Chapter 14: Autonomous Synthesis and Self-optimizing Reactors

The development of automated and self-driven systems is gaining increasing attention among institutions, companies, and universities around the world in different disciplines and fields. Industry 4.0 is transforming the chemical and pharmaceutical industries with an increasing level of digitalization and automation, bringing new opportunities in the field: from molecule design guided by artificial intelligence to process development and optimization through autonomous chemical synthesis. This chapter is focused on the development of self-optimization reaction platforms in flow, including challenges, opportunities, and algorithms used, illustrated with relevant applications in the field.