Organic chemist vs quality control chemist

The differences between organic chemists and quality control 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 $58,892 average annual salary of a quality control chemist.

The top three skills for an organic chemist include NMR, method development and HPLC. The most important skills for a quality control chemist are QC, HPLC, and lab equipment.

Organic chemist vs quality control chemist overview

	Organic Chemist	Quality Control Chemist
Yearly salary	$76,894	$58,892
Hourly rate	$36.97	$28.31
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	2,680	90,467
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

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 quality control chemist do?

A Quality Control Chemist uses chemistry lab skills to test and measure materials, usually in a manufacturing or pharmaceutical field. They analyze samples using scientific equipment, prepare study protocols, collect data, and identify and investigate abnormal test results.

Organic chemist vs quality control chemist salary

Organic chemists and quality control chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Organic Chemist	Quality Control Chemist
Average salary	$76,894	$58,892
Salary range	Between $50,000 And $116,000	Between $45,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City	Newark, DE	North Kingstown, RI
Highest paying state	Delaware	Vermont
Best paying company	Entegris	Hallstar
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Manufacturing

Differences between organic chemist and quality control chemist education

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

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

Organic chemist vs quality control chemist demographics

Here are the differences between organic chemists' and quality control chemists' demographics:

	Organic Chemist	Quality Control Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 65.7% Female, 34.3%	Male, 56.5% Female, 43.5%
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, 7.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 21.4% White, 56.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between organic chemist and quality control chemist 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.

Quality control chemist example responsibilities.

Manage investigations of out of spec results and complaints in CatsWEB CAPA management system.
Verify raw material compliance utilizing ICP, FTIR, and USP wet chemistry methods.
Perform analysis utilizing UV/VIS, FTIR, Karl Fischer, and TLC.
Perform the potency studies, dissolution, and uniformity, by using HPLC, GC, and UV/VIS.
Analyze active ingredients in sunscreens, volatile organics, and preservatives utilizing ICP, GC, NIRS, and HPLC.
Execute dissolution and disintegration testing and microbiology testing with compliance requirements within GMP, GLP, and FDA regulatory environments.

Organic chemist vs quality control chemist skills

Common organic chemist skills

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

Common quality control chemist skills

QC, 9%
HPLC, 7%
Lab Equipment, 7%
GMP, 6%
Analytical Methods, 5%
UV/Vis, 4%

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Organic Chemist vs Quality Control Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

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