Question: how do you go about making new molecules?

Sinead Balgobin answered on 8 Nov 2015:

It can be a very lengthy process! I am most interested in finding new reactions to make new molecules, so I like to start with thinking about what new things I could do, for example, a way to join two atoms together inbetween two different molecules that hasn’t been done before. Or, pick a catalyst (a different type of molecule, that doesn’t go into the product but helps the reaction) or a type of reactivity that I think is interesting.

Then I’ll decide what molecules I want to make. It turns out, all these decisions change constantly throughout the process of research though, so it’s important to be creative and flexible in your ideas! I always end up slightly changing what the molecule I want is so the reaction will work properly, or changing how I approach making that molecule.

Being a scientist, much like being a writer or an artist, requires you to be really creative, and not just analytical. Computers are getting smarter and are becoming able to analyse results for us, but you need the creative human touch to come up with new ideas and creative solutions to problems.

Sometimes I wish I had a computer to do all the reading for me though- researching science also requires a LOT of reading, so you know what already exists so you can build on those ideas (or avoid repeating someone elses research!).