Chemotion ELN

Chemotion ELN is an electronic laboratory notebook (ELN) developed at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) / NFDI4Chem. It is distributed as free, open-source software under the GNU Affero General Public License (AGPL v3) and is designed specifically to bring modern research data management (RDM) into everyday chemical and biochemical workflows. Although originating in synthetic chemistry, the system has been extended and adopted by adjacent domains such as biochemistry and is maintained collaboratively with partner universities and community contributors. The ELN provides structured project and record organization that mirrors how labs work: projects contain experiments and entries whose metadata, molecules and attachments are recorded in standard, reusable formats. Users can draw or import molecular structures, create and manage inventories (including QR- and barcode-enabled tracking), and attach analytical files. Integration with ChemSpectra provides an in-ELN view and handling of spectral data; additional components and cooperation with tools such as NMRdb and SciFinder are available to streamline spectral interpretation and literature lookup. The platform also includes a generic ELN framework and modular architecture so labs or developers can extend functionality, add custom modules, or adapt the interface to local workflows. A key capability is the tight connection between the ELN and the Chemotion Repository: selected experiments, datasets or compound records can be transferred securely for archiving, sharing and long-term storage. This pairing supports better reproducibility and publication-ready data export, and helps researchers implement FAIR data principles without duplicative manual steps. Common laboratory workflows supported by Chemotion ELN include recording synthesis procedures with stepwise reagents and yields, attaching spectra and chromatograms with metadata, tracking sample locations via barcodes or QR codes, managing group inventories, and preparing datasets for deposition or sharing with collaborators. The project also provides documentation, a user manual that explains the terminology used in the interface, and recommended practices for structuring and reporting data. Chemotion is community-oriented and practical to deploy. Source code, installation instructions and changelogs are publicly available and the team runs periodic live demos and Q&A sessions; training workshops and tailored introductions for research groups are offered through the project and NFDI4Chem support. For development or troubleshooting, users are encouraged to open issues on the project’s GitHub and to consult the online helpdesk. Because the software is licensed under AGPL, institutions can self-host instances to retain full control over data and integrations. This makes Chemotion ELN a compelling option for academic labs seeking a chemistry-focused, extensible, and standards-aware ELN that reduces friction between bench work and data stewardship.