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Nanotechnology

A molecular assembler

Nature volume 549, pages 336–337 (2017)Cite this article

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The idea of nanometre-scale machines that can assemble molecules has long been thought of as the stuff of science fiction. Such a machine has now been built — and might herald a new model for organic synthesis. See Letter p.374

In 1986, the futurist K. Eric Drexler published Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology1, in which he laid out his vision for the field that became nanotechnology. Engines fired many imaginations, including that of one of the current authors2 (T.R.K.), but the big picture of Drexler's vision also drew well-founded criticisms3,4 because some of the details were incompatible with real-world constraints. One element of this vision attracted particularly strong censure5: the concept of “molecular assemblers” — nanomachines that “will serve as improved devices for assembling molecular structures”. On page 374, Kassem et al.6 report a non-biological example of what could be regarded as a molecular assembler.

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Figure 1: A machine for assembling molecules.

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References

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  1. Merkert Chemistry Center, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, 02467, Massachusetts, USA

    T. Ross Kelly & Marc L. Snapper

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  1. T. Ross Kelly
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  2. Marc L. Snapper
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Correspondence to T. Ross Kelly or Marc L. Snapper.

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Chemistry: No turning back for motorized molecules

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Kelly, T., Snapper, M. A molecular assembler. Nature 549, 336–337 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/549336a

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