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The differences between medicinal 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 $65,248 average annual salary of a medicinal chemist.
The top three skills for a medicinal chemist include NMR, SAR and HPLC. The most important skills for an organic chemist are NMR, method development, and HPLC.
| Medicinal Chemist | Organic Chemist | |
| Yearly salary | $65,248 | $76,894 |
| Hourly rate | $31.37 | $36.97 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 2,662 | 2,680 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| 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 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.
Medicinal chemists and organic chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medicinal Chemist | Organic Chemist | |
| Average salary | $65,248 | $76,894 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $96,000 | Between $50,000 And $116,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Newark, DE |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Novartis | Entegris |
| Best paying industry | - | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a medicinal chemist and an organic chemist in terms of educational background:
| Medicinal Chemist | Organic Chemist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| 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 organic chemists' demographics:
| Medicinal Chemist | Organic Chemist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.5% Female, 19.5% | Male, 65.7% Female, 34.3% |
| 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, 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% |