There are three main tasks that most chemists need to undertake in their line of work.
Research
Research
- It is very important that a chemist stays up to date with all the scientific developments relevant to their field of work. In order to do this correctly, a chemist will have to constantly read new journals and scientific articles that are published. They can be easily accessed online or in libraries as it is a very important part of the job. Obviously the type of information they are researching will have to be relevant to whatever field they work in, and it will help them discover improved techniques for carrying out experiments and so on.
- Laboratory work is usually the main job for chemists as they will be required to carry out experiments as well as designing them to help find the answers they are searching for. It is all about finding new and better developments in their field of work. However, some chemists assist in the chemical processes that have already been prepared, or they may have to simply change something to get a different reaction. The schedule for working in the lab can vary depending on the chemist however; the majority tend to stick to a 9 to 5 routine.
- It is very important that chemists keep records and notebooks documenting their findings and processes as they go along. This is vital in this field of work because then they can refer back to a previous experiment that may have been unsuccessful and add another component and so on. Also, some chemists require a certain amount of funding for experiments so they will have to show what they choose to do in the future, based on the findings they already have.
