Computer Vision in Chemistry: Automatic Titration

Abstract

A novel technology that employs computer vision (CV) to carry out an automatic titration experiment is presented. The experiment is designed to facilitate understanding of the basics of the CV technology and its application in chemistry among undergraduate students. The standard chemical procedure of titration has been chosen, since it is well-known to students who completed general chemistry or similar foundation chemistry courses. A significant advantage of CV-based automation is the use of open-source software and readily available electronic devices, as no expensive specialized equipment or proprietary software is required. The experiment can be performed remotely, either live online or with prerecorded videos. The reported technology is accessible to virtually any educational institution as well as to individuals. The proposed technology provides affordable and safe means for remote execution of titration experiments for students with disabilities. Therefore, the proposed experiment is suitable for traditional laboratory instruction as well as remote synchronous or asynchronous course delivery which gained practical importance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, the proposed CV-based automation opens a new realm of opportunities for rethinking traditional chemistry procedures where computer vision is used to improve performance of standard laboratory instruments and techniques.

Collaborative methods to enhance reproducibility and accelerate discovery

“…A discussion of the opportunities and training needs associated with automation in the chemical sciences can be found in a recent report by the US National Academy of Sciences. 43 Incorporating automation technologies into pedagogical training is not inherently new, 44,45 but recent efforts have focused on training students in the combination of experimental hardware and planning algorithms 46,47 and on closely adjacent enabling technologies such as computer vision 48,49 and speech recognition. 50 In addition to producing a more technologically skilled workforce, this also provides an opportunity to create a more inclusive scientic workforce, as laboratory automation can remove barriers for students with visual or physical disabilities.…”

The Future of Laboratory Chemistry Learning and Teaching Must be Accessible

“…Further examples of the development of accessible resources in chemistry include building in flexibility and choice within the program, 39 , 41 using 3-dimensional tactile models, 42 , 43 applying computer vision to laboratory operations such as titrations, 44 using software to describe chemical phenomena such as color changes, 45 and using QR code labels and audio commentaries for commonly used chemistry laboratory apparatus. 46 …”

Whey Protein Analysis Using the Lowry Assay and 96-Well-Plate Digital Images Acquired Using Smartphones

“…Digital images acquired using electronic devices were also used for pH evaluation, titration, − investigation of friction and wetting, quantifications of abasic sites within DNA nucleotides, measurement of the contact angle, , quantification of surface protein adsorption, measurements of liquid binary diffusivities, measurement of fluorescence quenching, explorations of chemical kinetics, − finding p K a values . and lateral flow assays …”