Organic Chemist Job Description

Chemistry is the branch of science that studies matter, behavior, properties, composition, structure and the possible changes that takes place along with certain conditions. Chemistry has sub branches and one of the common branches of chemistry is an organic chemistry.

What is an organic chemist?

Organic chemist is a person who studies the properties and structure of compounds that contain carbon. They synthesize, design and characterize carbon-containing compounds so as to produce beneficial products like a medicine.

Duties of an organic chemist

• Organic chemists are responsible in performing synthesis as well as isolating experiments. These chemists use several instruments like spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance and chromatography in order to analyze their results. They prepare research groups, reports and maintain the laboratory.
• Organic chemists test and develop products for the usage of agriculture, research, industries or pharmaceutical. They may also responsible in modifying or improving existing products that are meant for organic purposes. There are several organic chemists who write procedures and create technical literature intended for lab use.
• Other responsibilities may include lab maintenance and test equipment maintenance. Research and quality control are relevant duties for organic chemists in a wide array of industries.
• They also conduct various syntheses in chemistry so as to develop a fire retardant. They evaluate and test new products, maintain and support data acquisition systems and follow organic chemistry laboratory procedures as well as safety protocols. The organic chemist executes purification, analysis, organic syntheses and identification.

Condition of Work

Organic chemists are employed in a wide variety of industries such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and petrolatum or chemical industries. Organic chemists should be creative, possess excellent problem-solving and technical skills and can work well even under pressure and within team environment.

Educational Requirements

In order to become an organic chemists, candidates are requires to pursue a bachelor’s degree for an entry-level into its workforce. Most supervision and research positions require a graduate degree. The AMCS or American Chemical Society is a governing body which accredits programs related to organic chemistry. Environmental chemistry, drug manufacturing, biology or any other related fields may require aspiring candidates to complete an internship program or have a certification or license in research.

Occupation and Progress

The United States Bureau of Labor and Statistics reported that the median income for organic chemists is about $59,870. Highest earnings for organic chemists are mostly employed in pharmaceutical companies with job security for long-term basis.

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