Bayesian optimization is a promising approach towards a more environmentally friendly chemical synthesis, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. It can aid chemists to explore vast chemical spaces and find green reaction conditions with few experiments, decreasing resource consumption and waste generation while reducing discovery timelines and costs.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$29.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 1 digital issues and online access to articles
$99.00 per year
only $99.00 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Vinuesa, R. et al. The role of artificial intelligence in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Nat. Commun. 11, 233 (2020).
Guo, J., Ranković, B. & Schwaller, P. Bayesian optimization for chemical reactions. Chimia 77, 31–38 (2023).
Shahriari, B., Swersky, K., Wang, Z., Adams, R. P. & de Freitas, N. Taking the human out of the loop: a review of Bayesian optimization. Proc. IEEE 104, 148–175 (2016).
Sheldon, R. A. Metrics of green chemistry and sustainability: past, present, and future. ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng. 6, 32–48 (2018).
Shields, B. J. et al. Bayesian reaction optimization as a tool for chemical synthesis. Nature 590, 89–96 (2021).
Garrido Torres, J. A. et al. A multi-objective active learning platform and web app for reaction optimization. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 144, 19999–20007 (2022).
Häse, F., Aldeghi, M., Hickman, R. J., Roch, L. M. & Aspuru-Guzik, A. GRYFFIN: an algorithm for Bayesian optimization of categorical variables informed by expert knowledge. Appl. Phys. Rev. 8, 031406 (2021).
Braconi, E. & Godineau, E. Bayesian optimization as a sustainable strategy for early-stage process development? A case study of Cu-catalyzed C–N coupling of sterically hindered pyrazines. ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng. 11, 10545–10554 (2023).
Clayton, A. D. et al. Bayesian self-optimization for telescoped continuous flow synthesis. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 62, e202214511 (2023).
Burger, B. et al. A mobile robotic chemist. Nature 583, 237–241 (2020).
Acknowledgements
The author thanks E. Godineau, O. Lahtigui and S. Bell for valuable discussions and acknowledges Syngenta Crop Protection AG for financial support.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The author declares no competing interests.
Additional information
Related links
Chimera: https://github.com/aspuru-guzik-group/chimera
EDBO+: https://www.edbowebapp.com/
Gryffin: https://github.com/aspuru-guzik-group/gryffin
Phoenics: https://github.com/aspuru-guzik-group/phoenics
Sustainable Development Goals: https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Braconi, E. Bayesian optimization as a valuable tool for sustainable chemical reaction development. Nat Rev Methods Primers 3, 74 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43586-023-00266-3
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43586-023-00266-3