Yong-Qiang Tu from Lanzhou University uses transition metals to catalyse tandem reactions, for the synthesis of natural products. 

What inspired you to become a scientist? 

I'm very interested in natural science, especially physics and chemistry. My curiosity has inspired me to engage in scientific research. It is very exciting when you find something new or achieve your ideas through experiments. 

What was your motivation behind the work described in your ChemComm article?

We are very interested in developing new and synthetically useful reactions by using transition metals. Recently, as gold and silver catalyzed reactions have received increasing attention, we tried to find more interesting tandem reactions to construct useful molecular structures. 

Why did you choose ChemComm to publish your work? 

ChemComm is a journal with high quality, high impact and long history. It's fast publication time also benefits us, allowing us to report our work as soon as possible. 

Where do you see your research heading next?

We plan to focus on the application of highly efficient tandem reactions to the synthesis of natural products. 

What do enjoy doing in your spare time? 

I like walking and listening to music. 

If you could not be a scientist, but could be anything else, what would you be?

I would like to be a mechanical engineer, or a writer. 

Interviewed by Emma Shiells