Analytical Chemistry

<h2 id="section---IsAnalyticalChemistryForMe">Is Analytical Chemistry for Me?</h2> <h3 id="section---CareerOverview">Career Overview</h3> <p>Analytical chemistry is a branch of chemistry that involves determining the components and their amounts in a mixture, sample or specimen. Analytical chemistry is divided into qualitative analysis, non-measurable properties or characteristics of a sample and quantitative analysis, measurable or quantifiable data. <a href="https://learn.org/articles/Analytical_Chemist_Career_and_Salary_FAQs.html">Analytical chemists</a> use various methods, such as chromatography, spectroscopy, electrochemistry and titrimetry, to investigate a sample. </p> <p>Analytical <a href="https://learn.org/articles/Chemist_Career_Summary_Occupational_Outlook_and_Education_Requirements.html">chemists</a> spend most of their time in a lab, performing and interpreting analysis and supervising other chemists. They start the analysis by determining how to properly sample and prepare the specimen. They then choose a method or instrument to perform the analysis. The final step is to write up a report of the results. </p> <h3 id="section---Specializations">Specializations</h3> <p>Analytical <a href="https://learn.org/articles/Chemist_How_to_Become_a_Chemist_in_5_Steps.html">chemists</a> may work for forensic or industrial labs, colleges, universities, the government, pharmaceutical firms or environmental companies. You may also work designing quality assurance procedures or inventing analysis procedures. You may find work as a <a href="https://learn.org/articles/Research_Chemist_Jobs_Your_Career_and_Salary_Questions_Answered.html">research chemist</a>, high school or community college teacher, college or university researcher or professor, government regulatory chemist or scientific writer. </p> <h3 id="section---EmploymentInformation">Employment Information</h3> <p>Most analytical chemists made from $34,082-$79,842, with bonuses and profit sharing included. Salary data is from <i>PayScale.com</i> as reported in March of 2014. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), all type of chemists should see employment growth of 6% during the 2012-2022 decade. Research and development firms employ the highest percentage of these professionals. </p> <h2 id="section---HowCanIBecomeAnAnalyticalChemist">How Can I Become an Analytical Chemist?</h2> <h3 id="section---UndergraduateEducation">Undergraduate Education</h3> <p>To become an analytical chemist, you need at least a <a href="https://learn.org/articles/Chemistry_Bachelors_Degrees_Online_Program_FAQs.html">bachelor's degree in chemistry</a>. You take courses in physical, organic, inorganic and analytical chemistry. A program may offer concentrations in <a href="https://learn.org/articles/How_Can_I_Earn_a_Degree_in_Chemical_Physics.html">chemical physics</a> or industrial chemistry, which have a strong analytical component. </p> <h3 id="section---GraduatePrograms">Graduate Programs</h3> <p>At the graduate level, you may enroll in a master's degree in <a href="https://learn.org/articles/Degree_Programs_in_Chemistry_Frequently_Asked_Questions.html">chemistry</a> concentrating in analytical chemistry. Courses for this specialization include reaction mechanism, structural analysis, instrumental analysis and computational chemistry. If you are interested in a career in academia or industrial research, you may enroll in a Ph.D. in Chemistry with a concentration in analytical chemistry. Courses for a Ph.D. range from mass spectrometry, electrochemistry and electroanalytical chemistry to computational chemistry and statistics.</p>