Career paths for analytical chemists include careers in environmental research or research and development for foods, medicines, and pharmaceuticals. Analytical chemists are employed across the chemical industry, throughout academia, and in branches of industry and government. Analytical chemists perform laboratory research, and develop the foundation for new processes and products. Because of their advanced skills, analytical chemists are highly sought after for their contribution to higher education.
Analytical chemistry involves detailed research which requires structuring and carrying out investigative qualitative and quantitative studies. In the case of inorganic applications, such as engineering studies, analytical chemists perform research on the strength of building materials, or how materials may react on a space mission. Analytical chemistry as it applies to organic, agricultural and medical applications requires students master full-spectrum studies that include large amounts of interpretive data. For example, a pharmaceutical company will use analytical chemists and statistical data when developing new medicines to predict the medicines' application in the marketplace and statistically analyze the cost/risk/benefits curve.
Because analytical must deal with the subatomic structure of chemicals, compounds and their interactions, analytical chemists should have a thorough understanding of subatomic and nuclear physics. The manner in which chemicals respond and react to one another is entirely dependent upon the compound's chemical formula and subatomic composition. Analytical chemists must understand how subatomic particles and a compound's structure influence the way the chemicals will react with other compounds.
Analytical chemists have significant influence in the career paths of biology, agriculture and ecology. Analytical chemists are intimately involved with the medical sciences, and work for companies which develop new medicines. Analytical chemists also work in the agricultural industry. Analytical chemists are involved in developing hybrid foods, and genetically engineering foods so they are easier to grow and more resistant to diseases. Because these fields are also often immersed in controversy over the new research and development, analytical chemists must follow strict procedures, research and document their work thoroughly.
Analytical chemists must master a thorough competency in organic and inorganic chemistry. How chemicals are constructed and how they react to each other is an essential foundation for all chemistry careers. Analytical chemists' research takes them beyond chemical formulas and reactions into theoretical work as applied to chemistry principles and diverse applications, from structural engineering to medical sciences and the creation of alternative fuels. Analytical chemists do not specialize in all these fields. Rather they apply chemistry to a specific cross-discipline field to be able to analyze, predict, and develop new products based on their chemical makeup.