Organic chemist vs laboratory analyst

The differences between organic chemists and laboratory analysts 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 $44,024 average annual salary of a laboratory analyst.

The top three skills for an organic chemist include NMR, method development and HPLC. The most important skills for a laboratory analyst are test methods, lab equipment, and lims.

Organic chemist vs laboratory analyst overview

	Organic Chemist	Laboratory Analyst
Yearly salary	$76,894	$44,024
Hourly rate	$36.97	$21.17
Growth rate	6%	9%
Number of jobs	2,680	44,074
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age	42	38
Years of experience	-	2

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.

What does a laboratory analyst do?

A Laboratory Analyst helps conduct experiments, run laboratory tests, and analyze results. They compile and record data for the documentation needed for testing and report preparation.

Organic chemist vs laboratory analyst salary

Organic chemists and laboratory analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Organic Chemist	Laboratory Analyst
Average salary	$76,894	$44,024
Salary range	Between $50,000 And $116,000	Between $31,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	Newark, DE	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Delaware	New York
Best paying company	Entegris	AbbVie
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Pharmaceutical

Differences between organic chemist and laboratory analyst education

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

	Organic Chemist	Laboratory Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Most common major	Chemistry	Biology
Most common college	University of Southern California	Stanford University

Organic chemist vs laboratory analyst demographics

Here are the differences between organic chemists' and laboratory analysts' demographics:

	Organic Chemist	Laboratory Analyst
Average age	42	38
Gender ratio	Male, 65.7% Female, 34.3%	Male, 48.3% Female, 51.7%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	5%	8%

Differences between organic chemist and laboratory analyst duties and responsibilities

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.

Laboratory analyst example responsibilities.

Use sophisticate laboratory instrumentation (HPLC, FTIR, UV, GC) and computer systems to collect and record data.
Analyze organic compounds using gravimetric, titration, distillation and spectrophotometry methods.
Prepare for and represent the laboratory during FDA, customer, and ISO audits.
Complete preparation of organic samples for GC, HPLC, IR and GCMS analysis.
Prepare solid and aqueous samples for analysis on diagnostic instruments including GC, GCMS and IC.
Utilize internal LIMS computer database for data entry and communication.

Organic chemist vs laboratory analyst skills

Common organic chemist skills

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

Common laboratory analyst skills

Test Methods, 8%
Lab Equipment, 7%
Lims, 5%
Laboratory Procedures, 5%
Sample Preparation, 5%
Analytical Methods, 4%

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Organic Chemist vs Laboratory Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

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