Chemistry laboratory technician vs chemistry laboratory assistant

The differences between chemistry laboratory technicians and chemistry laboratory assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a chemistry laboratory technician and a chemistry laboratory assistant. Additionally, a chemistry laboratory technician has an average salary of $40,072, which is higher than the $30,971 average annual salary of a chemistry laboratory assistant.

The top three skills for a chemistry laboratory technician include lab equipment, test results and laboratory tests. The most important skills for a chemistry laboratory assistant are lab equipment, lab safety, and chemistry lab.

Chemistry laboratory technician vs chemistry laboratory assistant overview

	Chemistry Laboratory Technician	Chemistry Laboratory Assistant
Yearly salary	$40,072	$30,971
Hourly rate	$19.27	$14.89
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	43,043	40,180
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

What does a chemistry laboratory technician do?

A chemical laboratory technician is an individual who works in a designated laboratory to conduct analytical or lab-based tests on a variety of chemicals, materials, or products. Chemical laboratory technicians receive and test samples for quality assurance, safety inspection, or environmental impact. Under the supervision of chemists and other team members, they perform lab activities such as setting up lab equipment and preparing chemical solutions. Chemistry laboratory technicians can work in different industries such as pharmaceutical, mining, food, and environmental organizations.

What does a chemistry laboratory assistant do?

Chemical Laboratory Assistants are professionals who help researchers and scientists in performing lab experiments and tests. Their tasks involve the maintenance, cleanliness, or sterilization of laboratory equipment or instruments. They perform physical or chemical laboratory tests assisting scientists in the quantitative or qualitative analyses of liquids, gaseous materials, and solids. The necessary skills and knowledge for this job include chemistry, lab reporting, chemical solutions, and safety procedures.

Chemistry laboratory technician vs chemistry laboratory assistant salary

Chemistry laboratory technicians and chemistry laboratory assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chemistry Laboratory Technician	Chemistry Laboratory Assistant
Average salary	$40,072	$30,971
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $49,000	Between $16,000 And $58,000
Highest paying City	Denver, CO	Hartford, CT
Highest paying state	Maryland	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Zoetis	Pace University
Best paying industry	Energy	Education

Differences between chemistry laboratory technician and chemistry laboratory assistant education

There are a few differences between a chemistry laboratory technician and a chemistry laboratory assistant in terms of educational background:

	Chemistry Laboratory Technician	Chemistry Laboratory Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Chemistry laboratory technician vs chemistry laboratory assistant demographics

Here are the differences between chemistry laboratory technicians' and chemistry laboratory assistants' demographics:

	Chemistry Laboratory Technician	Chemistry Laboratory Assistant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 47.7% Female, 52.3%	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 9.2% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 9.5% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between chemistry laboratory technician and chemistry laboratory assistant duties and responsibilities

Chemistry laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Participate in audits by FDA and ISO.
Assist in preparing and storing laboratory experiments.-Guide students through laboratory procedure.-collect student data for HPLC, GC/MS, and NMR samples.
Skil in characterization of compounds using 1HNMR , 13CNMR, IR, GC, UV-Vis spec.
Train mill trainees on ISO procedures.
Inventory lab chemicals and MSDS sheets.
Maintain and repair FTIR and UV-Vis spectrophotometers.

Chemistry laboratory assistant example responsibilities.

Comfort frighten patients and maintain an exceptionally bright professional demeanor to accomplish a procedure that makes most people very uncomfortable.
Prepare buffer solutions, separate DNA, dissect baby mice, and perform general lab procedures.
Facilitate placement and organization of equipment for new laboratory including HPLC, GC-MS, UV-VIS, and DSC.
Maintain GC/FID, GC/MS and LC/MS systems.
Purify total RNA out of scallop muscle tissue.
Maintain proper records and documentation of DNA sequencing products.

Chemistry laboratory technician vs chemistry laboratory assistant skills

Common chemistry laboratory technician skills

Lab Equipment, 12%
Test Results, 7%
Laboratory Tests, 5%
Chemistry Laboratory, 4%
Safety Procedures, 4%
HPLC, 4%

Common chemistry laboratory assistant skills

Lab Equipment, 39%
Lab Safety, 13%
Chemistry Lab, 6%
Lab Experiments, 4%
Lab Reports, 3%
Analytical Chemistry, 2%

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Chemistry Laboratory Technician
Chemistry Laboratory Technician vs Chemistry Laboratory Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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