The future is here! This Chemistry 3D Printer Can Synthesize Molecules From Scratch

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a14528/the-chemistry-3d-printer-can-craft-rare-medicinal-molecules-from-scratch/


Comments


[27 Points] Vendor_BBMC:

Im afraid to say that the future is just a theoretical machine that reacts some chemicals togethwr and removes some of the byproducts.

Unfortunately, it will only do existing known chemical reactions. Its not like a 3d printer printing a gun. You cant place an atom here or there with a lazer or nozzle or tiny pair of tweezers - because these things are all made of atoms too.

If it COULD do that, lets imagine we want to make a diamond weighing 12 grams out of carbon atoms.

It would take 6 followed by 23 zeros of carbon atoms. If it did one per second, it would take many millions of years.

Its just doing traditional wet chemistry, not printing.

(I am a graduate chemist, working as a research chemist for many years before I became a naughty meth chemist. Im in my late 40s.


[14 Points] None:

LYSERGIC ACID DIETHYLIMIDE HERE I COME


[5 Points] keseysdayglobus:

open source please


[5 Points] None:

So you can theoretically synthesize any substance/material from scratch now? Is it still at the stage where you can achieve max speeds of print a molecule a minute, or could one person print enough gold to cause massive inflation in the economy? So many questions lol.

Edit: Forgot to read the actual article. Damn I'm off my game. Will update comment once I've done that.

Update: Okay, yeah, they're saying drugs. Rapidly synthesizing them that would normally take a chemist years to do. I'm officially hooked I need this.


[7 Points] WonkyWarrior:

If this becomes an affordable reality we will all be laughing our way to the coffin.


[3 Points] Moridakkubokka:

Yeah good luck bringing that on the market with big pharma companies controlling this shit.


[3 Points] dnmadvocate:

I hope the quality is good, I hate when my methlymene is pixalated


[2 Points] Drugaddicatedanimal:

Fucking cool! Maybe this will be the answer to deforestation of sass trees in Asia.


[2 Points] simplemindedslut:

The possibilities are mind blowing. Almost litteraly. It would create one hell of a p2p site


[2 Points] None:

The sci-fi book "The Diamond Age" by Neal Stephenson talks about a future where people have "matter compilers" (e.g. star trek replicators) in their home that can produce anything by assembling it from component atoms through a feed.

However, the government(s) control the software, so you can only produce authorized stuff. I'm sure if something like this existed, the government would try to control the software, with probably about as much luck as they have had controlling encryption software.

The title comes from the fact that it is cheaper/easier to make windows from diamond (carbon) instead of regular glass. It's a really interesting book, if a bit weird at times.


[2 Points] Jackaroopz32:

Instead of fishscale I'll start having fishpixel


[1 Points] None:

Find a billionaire to invest, get like 500 of these machines working in unison and you'll shortly see the DEA putting out ads for thousands of new agents.


[1 Points] TheThistleSifter:

Wow, interesting! I'm just reading about the history of synthesized drugs at the moment. Would be really interesting to know what can be made from the books TiHKAL and PiHKAL.


[1 Points] XeroxSnowman:

Better print more MXE since this compound produces the most hilarity on DNMs and here.


[1 Points] pentobarbitaladdict:

Heh, I wonder if this could be used to synthesize pentobarbital or other good barbiturates?


[0 Points] None:

This seems a little scary. If something like this were to advance couldn't someone mass produce stuff like ebola and wreck havoc?