Analytical Chemist

Analytical chemists study and test the chemical composition and reactions of many different substances. These scientists work in many different industries and use complex equipment and procedures, such as chromatography, electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, and optical spectroscopy, to test samples and identify and quantify their components. They perform quantitative and qualitative chemical tests, analyses, and experiments for quality control. They also take an active role in the development of new products and processes.

At a Glance

Imagine you are standing in your bright white lab coat and safety glasses, carefully monitoring the output of the complex and highly sensitive instrument in front of you. You are an analytical chemist and today you are testing used oil for trace metals.

The oil was collected from several large diesel engines at a nearby industrial plant during their last routine oil change. These diesel engines are critical to the plant because they power its fire response system. Without them, the system would lose the pumps that send water to the fire hydrants.

If there was a fire at the plant and these engines failed, firefighters could not put the fire out. An uncontrolled fire on the plant site could cause huge explosions, noxious gas releases, and chemical spills.

As a precaution, the plant has hired you to test the used oil from its diesel engines to look for signs of potential failure. As an analytical chemist, you test the used oil for trace metals, which would be indicators of potential problems with the engines.

When the plant's mechanics change the oil in these engines, they bring samples of the old oil to you. After prepping the samples, you run them through an instrument called an ICPS, an Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectrophotometer. The ICPS will tell you if there are any metals present in the oil and, if there are, what metals they are and in what quantities. You can then compare these results to established limits and control values.

Once you have the results, you can look for indicators.

Silver is used to make the bearings in these engines, so if silver is present, it means the bearings are wearing and must be replaced.

Iron is also an indicator of metal wear, so if there are traces of iron in the oil, you know that another piece of the engine is wearing and needs replacement.

Your oil analysis will tell the mechanics which engine parts are going to break before they do.

Being able to anticipate failures and replace worn parts greatly reduces the risk of an engine breaking down in the middle of a fire or other emergency and possibly averts catastrophe.

Analytical Chemist

At a Glance

Job Duties

Work Environment

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Education and Skills

Education

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Amandeep Nagra

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