Field chemist vs organic chemist

The differences between field chemists and organic chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an organic chemist has an average salary of $76,894, which is higher than the $66,162 average annual salary of a field chemist.

The top three skills for a field chemist include CDL, non-hazardous waste and customer sites. The most important skills for an organic chemist are NMR, method development, and HPLC.

Field chemist vs organic chemist overview

	Field Chemist	Organic Chemist
Yearly salary	$66,162	$76,894
Hourly rate	$31.81	$36.97
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	51,922	2,680
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 82%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

What does a field chemist do?

Field chemists are scientists responsible for researching reactions that occur between different substances and creating procedures for safe handling of those substances by individuals, businesses, or factories. They are involved in gathering research data, implementing regulatory standards for hazardous substances, and assisting with the clean-up process for incidents such as spills. The data gathered is used to help develop new products for use in hazardous waste management, medicine, manufacturing, and other industries.

What does an organic chemist do?

An organic chemist studies the properties of chemicals with carbon. This type of chemistry is vital for industries concerning products and services related to living organisms, such as plants, animals, and people. Pharmaceuticals, the food industry, and agriculture all require an organic chemist's skill to create and develop products suitable for living organisms. The organic chemist's role is to help in the development phase of a product, determine its effects on biological life, and note all side-effects: many companies, especially those concerned in medicine and food production.

Field chemist vs organic chemist salary

Field chemists and organic chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Field Chemist	Organic Chemist
Average salary	$66,162	$76,894
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $101,000	Between $50,000 And $116,000
Highest paying City	-	Newark, DE
Highest paying state	-	Delaware
Best paying company	-	Entegris
Best paying industry	-	Pharmaceutical

Differences between field chemist and organic chemist education

There are a few differences between a field chemist and an organic chemist in terms of educational background:

	Field Chemist	Organic Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 82%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of California, Berkeley	University of Southern California

Field chemist vs organic chemist demographics

Here are the differences between field chemists' and organic chemists' demographics:

	Field Chemist	Organic Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4%	Male, 65.7% Female, 34.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 18.1% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 19.0% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between field chemist and organic chemist duties and responsibilities

Field chemist example responsibilities.

Manage and audit projects to ensure compliance of state, federal and OSHA regulations.
Manage projects involving the development of GC/MS methods, particle collection systems, and Raman spectral database creation.
Achieve and maintain ISO 9001-2000 certification by creating and implementing policies and serving as management representative.
Utilize analytic testing on new compounds using the following techniques: GC-MS, HPLC and ICP.
Test products for QC using standard procedures.
Analyze air samples by HPLC following EPA methods.

Organic chemist example responsibilities.

Achieve and maintain ISO 9001-2000 certification by creating and implementing policies and serving as management representative.
Ensure compounds are of the highest possible purity using LCMS, NMR spectroscopy, GC, and HPLC.
Perform organic analysis for semi-volatile and acid-base-neutrals using GCMS, HPLC, GCFID, GCNPD, GCECD and IR.
Perform GC analyses for gas, diesel, BTEX and PCB analyses in Washington and remote sites of Alaska.
Facilitate routine analyses in organic analytic chemistry - distillation, extraction, separation, crystallization, and purification.
Utilize 1H-NMR , 13C-NMR, GC/MS, HPLC, MALDI-TOF, ChemDraw, and ChemWindow.

Field chemist vs organic chemist skills

Common field chemist skills

CDL, 39%
Non-Hazardous Waste, 7%
Customer Sites, 7%
Household Hazardous Waste, 6%
OSHA, 5%
Laboratory Equipment, 5%

Common organic chemist skills

NMR, 8%
Method Development, 8%
HPLC, 7%
Organic Synthesis, 7%
Laboratory Equipment, 6%
Sample Preparation, 5%

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Field Chemist vs Organic Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

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