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The differences between medicinal chemists and associate chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a medicinal chemist has an average salary of $65,248, which is higher than the $61,544 average annual salary of an associate chemist.
The top three skills for a medicinal chemist include NMR, SAR and HPLC. The most important skills for an associate chemist are lab equipment, HPLC, and method development.
| Medicinal Chemist | Associate Chemist | |
| Yearly salary | $65,248 | $61,544 |
| Hourly rate | $31.37 | $29.59 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 2,662 | 7,387 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A medicinal chemist applies their chemistry training to processing and synthesizing new pharmaceuticals. Their duties include developing new drugs, improving the processes through which pharmaceuticals are made, isolating medicinal agents, creating new synthetic drug compounds, and working with scientists in other disciplines. They are also required to develop products and production processes that are cost effective and environmentally friendly.
An Associate Chemist performs and analyzes chemical tests and procedures. They maintain the stock of drugs and ensure that they are stored in a secure place.
Medicinal chemists and associate chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medicinal Chemist | Associate Chemist | |
| Average salary | $65,248 | $61,544 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $96,000 | Between $39,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Worcester, MA |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | Virginia |
| Best paying company | Novartis | Alere |
| Best paying industry | - | Energy |
There are a few differences between a medicinal chemist and an associate chemist in terms of educational background:
| Medicinal Chemist | Associate Chemist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between medicinal chemists' and associate chemists' demographics:
| Medicinal Chemist | Associate Chemist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.5% Female, 19.5% | Male, 54.9% Female, 45.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 26.8% White, 52.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 18.1% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |