Bench chemist vs environmental chemist

The differences between bench chemists and environmental chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a bench chemist has an average salary of $57,401, which is higher than the $56,956 average annual salary of an environmental chemist.

The top three skills for a bench chemist include analytical methods, HPLC and wet chemistry. The most important skills for an environmental chemist are data validation, GC, and ms.

Bench chemist vs environmental chemist overview

	Bench Chemist	Environmental Chemist
Yearly salary	$57,401	$56,956
Hourly rate	$27.60	$27.38
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	3,038	22,234
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

Bench chemist vs environmental chemist salary

Bench chemists and environmental chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Bench Chemist	Environmental Chemist
Average salary	$57,401	$56,956
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $84,000	Between $38,000 And $84,000
Highest paying City	-	Olympia, WA
Highest paying state	-	Delaware
Best paying company	-	Southern California Edison
Best paying industry	-	Internet

Differences between bench chemist and environmental chemist education

There are a few differences between a bench chemist and an environmental chemist in terms of educational background:

	Bench Chemist	Environmental Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of California, Berkeley	University of California, Berkeley

Bench chemist vs environmental chemist demographics

Here are the differences between bench chemists' and environmental chemists' demographics:

	Bench Chemist	Environmental Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 58.2% Female, 41.8%	Male, 62.1% Female, 37.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 18.2% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 18.1% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between bench chemist and environmental chemist duties and responsibilities

Bench chemist example responsibilities.

Test developmental compounds to ASTM standards and manage certification submissions.
Prepare ASTM samples and test physical properties.
Perform USP testing on a wide variety of pharmaceuticals to guarantee product quality.
Analyze intermediates and products through analytical data such as LCMS, NMR, etc.
Maintain detailed notebooks containing results and transmit those results via LIMS to the proper plant personnel.
Perform final release testing on batch samples to establish conformance to company, third party, or FDA specifications.

Environmental chemist example responsibilities.

Manage storage of hazardous waste for compliance with RCRA regulations.
Manage and operate mobile laboratories analyzing a wide range of samples utilizing USEPA SW846 GC/MS and HPLC methods.
Achieve expertise with hydrogenations and catalysts, low temp reactions, TLC, reactions done with UV and infrare lights.
Achieve expertise with organic techniques like steam distillation, recrystallization, vacuum sublimation/distillation.
Administer various laboratory safety audits with regard to OSHA rules and regulations to maintain adherence and manage necessary corrective actions.
Conduct analysis of heavy metals in environmental soil and water samples using ICP-OES and ICP-MS

Bench chemist vs environmental chemist skills

Common bench chemist skills

Analytical Methods, 12%
HPLC, 10%
Wet Chemistry, 10%
Method Development, 9%
GC, 8%
GMP, 8%

Common environmental chemist skills

Data Validation, 8%
GC, 6%
Ms, 6%
Laboratory Equipment, 6%
ICP-MS, 5%
Environmental Samples, 5%

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Bench Chemist vs Environmental Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

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