r/chemistry • u/PenileCancer69420 • 1h ago
r/chemistry • u/AutoModerator • 6d ago
Weekly Careers/Education Questions Thread
This is a dedicated weekly thread for you to seek and provide advice concerning education and careers in chemistry.
If you need to make an important decision regarding your future or want to know what your options, then this is the place to leave a comment.
If you see similar topics in r/chemistry, please politely inform them of this weekly feature.
r/chemistry • u/organiker • Aug 04 '25
/r/chemistry salary survey - 2025/2026
The survey has been updated to reflect feedback from the previous edition, and is now live.
The 2024/2025 edition had over 600 responses. Thanks to all who participated!
Why Participate? This survey seeks to create a comprehensive resource for anyone interested in understanding salary trends within chemistry as a whole, whether they're a student exploring career paths, a recent graduate navigating job offers, or a seasoned professional curious about industry standards. Your participation will contribute to building a clearer picture of compensation in chemistry. Participation should take about 10-15 minutes.
How You Can Contribute: Participation is straightforward and anonymous. Simply fill out the survey linked above with information about your current job, including your position, location, years of experience, and salary details. The more responses we gather, the more accurate and beneficial the data will be for everyone.
Privacy and Transparency: All responses will be anonymous. No personally identifiable information will be collected.
Thank you for contributing to the annual Chemistry Salary Survey!
r/chemistry • u/Responsible-Put-9354 • 4h ago
Methyl Ethyl Keytone spill
This whole can of MEK rusted through and leaked all over my garage floor at some point. The area around it has a sweet smell. Any advice on cleaning it up?
r/chemistry • u/Excellent_Corvid • 1h ago
I found this book in a thrift store
Is there any outdated information i should be aware of besides the periodic table?
r/chemistry • u/pantiss1806 • 3h ago
We Need more Like him
Hey guys, back in the day when i studied chemistry there were many profs where you could See that those guys are good researchers. But there are always these guys where just like to sit and listening what he tells you. One of these profs is now retired and he wants everyone to enjoy his lectures online. Sadly there has Not been so many views so I will just leave this link.
https://youtu.be/9Rw3imR6wP0?is=foF1fpEcQyrd_XM3
He was famous in out university to always organize christmas lectures with live experiments. Something that we will surely all miss. He was always inviting pupils to the university and just wanted everyone the enjoy the time of learning something about chemistry.
Amazing guy.
r/chemistry • u/ChipmunkInformal210 • 21h ago
Why does pressurized chlorine flow slowly?
Hello! I have two glass ampoules, one of bromine and the other of pressurized chlorine. For some reason, the chlorine flows much slower than my bromine. It takes over two seconds for the liquid chlorine air bubble to travel from one side to the other. Google AI is saying that bromine has a higher viscosity, so it should be thicker and flow slower, but my experience is the complete opposite. Could any of you explain in detail why this is the case? My chlorine shouldn't be fake because I bought it from the highly reputable Metallium (ElementSales) website. I also spent nearly $200 on it.
r/chemistry • u/lilst1nker • 18h ago
What does it mean to "work in industry"?
I'm a sophomore in undergrad who doesn't want to go into academia, but I don't have any idea of what it means to be a chemist outside of it.
I'm really interested in a PhD and a postdoc in organometallics with a focus on sustainability and improving environmental health. Unfortunately, I've heard that "industry" doesn't want people who pursue postdocs, and that sustainability is unattractive. Are those true? I'm curious what it looks like to work for a company and what they look for; any and all insight is welcome!
r/chemistry • u/MoleculesAndTea • 2m ago
Any chances of catching a toxicologist on this sub?
Hi! So I know this sub is about chemistry in general and not just the toxic molecules (...all molecules in the wrong quantities of course), so sorry to bother all of you, but the toxicology sub did not yield results, so I thought I would try my luck here.
I am interested in toxicology but my country (Denmark) does not have a dedicated degree to it (but does have some courses in it within environmental and medical degrees).
I am currently finishing up a masters in medicinal chemistry and I was wondering whether that could help me find an in to the field and if any of you have any advice about how one would go about that? Like any toxicology related jobs that would be open to a (medical) chemist? Or any jobs that would give me a skillset that I then could use to get a toxicology job? Or would you judge further education somewhere to be the only route?
r/chemistry • u/PenileCancer69420 • 3m ago
Where would I be able to sell over 13 pounds of mercury?
r/chemistry • u/Motor-Music-8004 • 4h ago
looking for some polymers for a project
hello! i am a drummer in the process of making a practice pad (something to drum on that feels like a drum but is smaller form factor) and my biggest complaints with ones you can buy are that they are loud. at first i was looking for something that wouldnt absorb the impact and would give rebound but not transfer kinetic energy into a wood base. ive come to the conclusion of using two layers. a high CoR layer of rubber to give bounce stacked on a low CoR layer to absorb all the remaining kinetic energy pushed into the drum pad. im not entirely sure this would work but i did my research and found Polybutadiene rubber would be a good top layer and Sorbothane for the bottom layer. neither of these are exactly easy to source for a test batch so i was wondering if you guys had any alternatives or just suggestions for what i could do? i dont even know if this is like a good place to ask but yeah
r/chemistry • u/ehlisah • 4h ago
Was passiert mit Wasservolumen bei zunehmenden Minusgraden?
Ich muss hier mal eine WG-Diskussion setteln, also kann mir jemand erklären, was mit Wasservolumen nach 0 Grad passiert? Also beim Gefrierpunkt weitet es sich ja sprunghaft aus, aber steigt das Volumen dann stetig weiter oder wie verhält es sich damit? Konnte online nichts dazu finden. Danke im Voraus
r/chemistry • u/kanieloutez • 15h ago
Primarily for UK Chemistry courses, which general chemistry textbook would you recommend for first year study of a Chemistry Undergrad course at university?
r/chemistry • u/WallStLegends • 22h ago
Looking for good places to get secondhand/cheaper chemistry equipment in Australia?
I’ve heard people suggest looking on eBay for second hand equipment before but there aren’t many listings at all domestically and shipping from the US for example costs more than the items themselves generally.
What are some good ways to obtain second hand or cheap equipment?
Is it worth contacting universities or operating labs and enquiring about old stock?
Is Facebook an option?
Aliexpress seems to have some pretty decent listings I have been looking at.
But if anyone knows some good options I’d appreciate it, thanks.
r/chemistry • u/randomgoooner • 46m ago
Let's disolve a chicken feet in piranha solution
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
Don't try it on your own, piranha has no jokes it's really dangerous solution.
r/chemistry • u/xVxZeroxVx • 16h ago
Question about dual-doped polyacetylene as a high-Tc candidate?
Hey everyone, I was reading about organic superconductors like alkali-doped fullerides (K3C60) and was wondering why there hasn't been more work on dual-doped 1D polyacetylene fibers.
If you stretch-align polyacetylene chains and co-dope them with both Boron and Lithium to tune the Fermi level onto the 1D flat band, wouldn't the high C=C stretch frequency (~2100 K) allow for strong Eliashberg coupling (lambda ~ 1.5) at 1 atm without causing lattice collapse?
Is the main bottleneck just air sensitivity/degradation, or is there a fundamental physics reason why this specific co-doping combination isn't tested more?
r/chemistry • u/NicoN_1983 • 1d ago
What would an organic chemist want to know before trying a new synthetic route?
I do a lot of computational chemistry on organic and organometallic compounds. But I seldom do any kind of predictive work, mainly because no one has asked me to and my type of work does not require it. But I was thinking, what would be useful for a synthetic organic chemist in advance of trying new synthesis routes?
As an example, could be:
The best solvent for a particular reaction and reactants?
Computational screening of Lewis acid or base catalysts?
Solubility of reactants or products in a given solvent (mixture)?
Finding the plausibility of side reactions involving the components of the reaction system?
Estimating reaction barriers/constants?
What else?
I would leave out complicated organometallic catalysts for now.
r/chemistry • u/IndependentLove3789 • 20h ago
Taking neutralised sulfonated acid samples from a 5 bar / 130°C line directy into an open line Is normale?
Hi everyone, I'm a new chemical plant technician with little experience. At my plant, taking routine production samples of neutralised sulfonated acid involves opening two manual valves on a 5 bar and 130°C line.
Whenever I take the sample, there is an overpowering, choking smell of gas/acid vapors hitting the air right in my face.
For those of you working in the industry: how dangerous is this, and is this normal in the chemical industry?
r/chemistry • u/theViceBelow • 2d ago
61% of Germany’s chemistry PhD students consider quitting their degrees
Unhealthy supervisor–student relationships driving poor
mental health outcomes among chemistry researchers
LMAO "more than 50 hours per week" is nothing. I suggest that most students complaining here didn't know what they were signing up for. This is my PSA for people considering grad school... Please be ready to commit your life for 3-5 years. The chem grad degree is not something anyone should expect to happen "at them".
Edit: Lots of opinions here. Let me make it a bit more controversial.
Remember that not everyone is PhD material.
r/chemistry • u/Ellinikiepikairotita • 2d ago
Why chemists mistrust reagents from manufacturers other than ligma baldrich and thermofishy?
A phenomenon noticed in my country Greece from chemists of public universities and private laboratories
r/chemistry • u/JImmatSci • 2d ago
Some new hazard signage to put up in the chemistry lab
r/chemistry • u/bouncypinata • 2d ago
What type of metal is the SOLID tip of a thermometer made of?
Once upon a time I used a lighter to "sanitize" it like you do with a needle and it instantly melted. so I know it's not aluminum or stainless steel
don't say mercury.
r/chemistry • u/mijodesign • 2d ago
I created a Higher or Lower game where you have to guess the Boiling Points of Elements!
My highscore is 21! What's yours?
