Career Details
Career Details
Use this dropdown to update your zip code
Back to top

Career Details

19-4031.00 - Chemical Technicians


Conduct chemical and physical laboratory tests to assist scientists in making qualitative and quantitative analyses of solids, liquids, and gaseous materials for research and development of new products or processes, quality control, maintenance of environmental standards, and other work involving experimental, theoretical, or practical application of chemistry and related sciences.


Key Facts
Expand or Shrink Accordion
Bright Outlook
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
66,500
Estimate
Forecasted Employment
67,700
Estimate
Change in Employment
+1,200
Estimate
Change in Employment %
+1.9%
Estimate
Tasks
Expand or Shrink Accordion
Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
  • Monitor product quality to ensure compliance with standards and specifications.
  • Set up and conduct chemical experiments, tests, and analyses, using techniques such as chromatography, spectroscopy, physical or chemical separation techniques, or microscopy.
  • Conduct chemical or physical laboratory tests to assist scientists in making qualitative or quantitative analyses of solids, liquids, or gaseous materials.
  • Compile and interpret results of tests and analyses.
  • Provide technical support or assistance to chemists or engineers.
  • Prepare chemical solutions for products or processes, following standardized formulas, or create experimental formulas.
  • Maintain, clean, or sterilize laboratory instruments or equipment.
  • Write technical reports or prepare graphs or charts to document experimental results.
  • Order and inventory materials to maintain supplies.
  • Develop or conduct programs of sampling and analysis to maintain quality standards of raw materials, chemical intermediates, or products.
  • Provide and maintain a safe work environment by participating in safety programs, committees, or teams and by conducting laboratory or plant safety audits.
  • Train new employees on topics such as the proper operation of laboratory equipment.
Supplemental
  • Direct or monitor other workers producing chemical products.
  • Operate experimental pilot plants, assisting with experimental design.
  • Develop new chemical engineering processes or production techniques.
  • Design or fabricate experimental apparatus to develop new products or processes.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge
Expand or Shrink Accordion
Knowledge

The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.
 Chemistry
  • 76%
    Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
 English Language
  • 70%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 Mathematics
  • 68%
    Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
 Computers and Electronics
  • 62%
    Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
 Production and Processing
  • 59%
    Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
 Clerical
  • 59%
    Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
 Education and Training
  • 53%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools
Expand or Shrink Accordion
Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Light and wave generating and measuring equipment
  • Abbe refractometers
  • Automated polarimeters
  • Differential refractometers
  • Dye lasers
  • Flame photometers
  • Lasers
  • Polarimeters
  • Ruby lasers
 Laboratory mixing and stirring and shaking equipment and supplies
  • Agitation tanks
  • Magnetic agitators
  • Magnetic stirring bars
 Meteorological instruments
  • Aneroid barometers
  • Mercury barometers
 Safety apparel
  • Asbestos gloves
  • Hazardous material protective clothing
  • Safety gloves
 Spectroscopic equipment
  • Atomic absorption AA spectroscopes
  • Atomic emissions spectroscopes
  • Deuterium lamps
  • Fluorimeters
  • Fourier transfer infrared FTIR spectrometers
  • Hollow cathode lamps
  • Infrared IR spectroscopes
  • Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry LC/MS equipment
  • Mass spectrometers
  • Nuclear magnetic resonance NMR spectroscopes
  • Spectrophotometers
  • Ultraviolet UV spectroscopes
 Fluid mechanics equipment
  • Automated microviscometers
  • Closed-end manometers
  • Fluid scintillation counters
  • Pycnometers
  • U-tube manometers
  • Viscosity meters
 Laboratory washing and cleaning equipment
  • Automatic buret cleaners
  • Automatic pipette cleaners
 Pipettes and liquid handling equipment and supplies
  • Automatic burets
  • Transfer pipettes
  • Volumetric glass pipettes
 Electrochemical measuring instruments and accessories
  • Autotitrators
  • Dissolved oxygen meters
  • pH indicators
  • Titrators
 Laboratory boring and grinding and cutting and crushing and pressing equipment
  • Ball mills
  • Laboratory pressing equipment
  • Mortars and pestles
  • Sample crushers
 Temperature and heat measuring instruments
  • Beckmann thermometers
  • Bomb calorimeters
  • Differential scanning calorimeters
  • Digital handheld thermometers
  • Liquid-filled remote thermometers
  • Optical pyrometers
  • Thermocouples
 General laboratory glassware and plasticware and supplies
  • Bell jars
  • Buchner funnels
  • Claisen flasks
  • Evaporating dishes
  • Glass burets
  • Glass tubing
  • Hirsch funnels
  • Laboratory flasks
  • Plastic cuvettes
  • Reaction flasks
  • Vacuum flask traps
  • Volumetric flasks
 Laboratory centrifuges and accessories
  • Benchtop centrifuges
  • Ultracentrifuges
 Indicating and recording instruments
  • Bimetallic strip thermometers
  • Radiation detectors
 Pressure measuring and control instruments
  • Bourdon gauges
  • Cartesian manostats
  • Ionization gauges
  • McLeod gauges
  • Pirani gauges
  • Pressure gauges
  • Vacuum gauges
 Liquid and gas flow measuring and observing instruments
  • Bubble flow meters
  • Rheometers
  • Rotameters
  • Velometers
 Laboratory decanting and distilling and evaporating and extracting equipment and supplies
  • Bubble-cap fractionating columns
  • Distilling condensers
  • Evaporator rotators
  • Molecular stills
  • Reflux condensers
  • Rotary evaporators
 Laboratory heating and drying equipment
  • Bunsen burners
  • Dessicators
  • Gas burners
  • Heating mantles
  • Hot air blowers
  • Laboratory heating plates
  • Laminar flow burners
  • Meker burners
  • Steam baths
 Respiratory protection
  • Canister gas masks
  • Dust and particulate respirators
 Laboratory pumps and tubing
  • Capillary tubing
  • Computer-controlled pumps
  • Diffusion pumps
  • Finger pumps
  • Gas drying tubes
  • Laboratory centrifugal pumps
  • Laboratory vacuum hand pumps
  • Laboratory vacuum pumps
  • Liquid transfer pumps
  • Metering pumps
  • Volume displacement pumps
  • Water aspirators
 Chromatographic measuring instruments and accessories
  • Chromatography developing tanks
  • Gas chromatography equipment
  • High pressure liquid chromatograph HPLC equipment
  • Ion exchange chromatography equipment
  • Liquid chromatography equipment
  • Photomultiplier tubes
  • Thinlayer chromatography analyzers
  • Ultraviolet UV light detectors
 Laboratory or sampling syringes
  • Chromatography microsyringes
 Laboratory baths
  • Constant temperature water baths
  • Cooling baths
 Computers
  • Desktop computers
  • Mainframe computers
  • Personal computers
 Weight measuring instruments
  • Electronic toploading balances
  • Laboratory balances
  • Pull spring balances
  • Single-pan balances
  • Torsion balances
  • Triple beam balances
  • Unequal-arm balances
  • Westphal balances
 Laboratory enclosures and accessories
  • Exhaust hoods
  • Explosion-proof fume hoods
  • Perchloric acid hoods
  • Radioisotope fume hoods
 Vision protection and accessories
  • Eyewash fountains
  • Safety glasses
  • Safety goggles
 Filters
  • Filter pumps
 Fire fighting equipment
  • Fire extinguishers
 Chemical evaluation instruments and supplies
  • Flame ionization detectors FID
  • Hydrometers
  • Monochromators
  • Photo detectors
 Nuclear physics materials
  • Geiger-Muller counters
 Crucibles
  • Glass laboratory crucibles
  • Gooch crucibles
 Laboratory furnaces and accessories
  • Graphite furnaces
  • Muffle furnaces
 Geophysical and geotechnical instruments
  • Gravitational field indicators
 Laboratory ovens and accessories
  • Gravity convection ovens
  • Laboratory drying ovens
 Lamps and lightbulbs
  • High pressure sodium lamps
  • Infrared lamps
  • Mercury vapor lamps
  • Ultraviolet UV lamps
 Laboratory implements
  • Laboratory tongs
  • Test tube clamps
  • Utility clamps
 Miscellaneous optical components
  • Optical beamsplitting devices
  • Polarizers
 Laboratory cooling equipment
  • Refrigerated coolers
 Gas analyzers and monitors
  • Thermal conductivity detectors
  • Vapor monitor badges
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology
Expand or Shrink Accordion
Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Development software
  • C++HOT
  • Oracle JavaHOT
  • PythonHOT
  • Software development tools
 Data management and query software
  • Database software
  • Microsoft AccessHOT
  • Oracle softwareHOT
  • Structured query language SQLHOT
 Industry specific software
  • Laboratory information management system LIMS
 Content authoring and editing software
  • Microsoft ExcelHOT
  • Microsoft PowerPointHOT
  • Microsoft WordHOT
  • Spreadsheet software
  • Word processing software
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications
Expand or Shrink Accordion
Certifications
The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.
 Specialty
 Advanced
 Core
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Licensing
Expand or Shrink Accordion
Licensing
The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Related Programs
Expand or Shrink Accordion
Online Programs related to this career, offered by participating institution(s), are listed below.

Clicking on the Degree programs in the list below will take you away from the Careers page.
INSTITUTION
PROGRAMS
J Sargeant Reynolds Community College
Mountain Empire Community College
Mountain Gateway Community College
Northern Virginia Community College
Virginia Peninsula Community College
Wytheville Community College