Tooltip chemistry

Tooltip chemistry is the term for the special kind of chemistry that takes place when robotic means are used to bring molecular components accurately together such that a certain desired permanent chemical transformation is enforced and archived with very high probability. In short when mechanosynthesis is performed. Usually covalent bonds are involved.

Typical processes are:

• picking molecules from pockets
• modifying molecular moieties on tooltips
• depositing molecular moieties to workpieces

For carbon as building material extensive studies have been done [1] since this kind of tooltip chemistry was of central importance for showing the feasability of advanced productive AP nanosystems (technology level III)

At the first step toward advanced APM systems the step towards technology level I the involved tooltip chemistry is largly non covalent and untypical. It more resembles a conventional makroscopic assembly process. Here complementary surfaces can be used that stick together by VdW and ionic attraction forces. For the next step to technology level II tooltip chemistry is yet largely unclassified and unexplored.