Inorganic chemists work with compounds that are mostly mineral-based, whereas organic chemists work with carbon-based compounds that are mostly biological in origin. Despite the fact that 20,000,000 organic compounds had been identified as of 2011, far fewer inorganic compounds had been identified or synthesized in the lab. Many inorganic compounds are hypothetical and have never been discovered in nature. As a result, the inorganic chemist is fascinated the large group of oxides and sulfides found in the Earth’s crust, as well as the synthesis of new inorganic chemicals. Chemical synthesis of any compound that is not a carbon atom covalently bound to another atom of common biological origin, such as oxygen, hydrogen, or nitrogen, is referred to as inorganic chemistry.
Metals like aluminum, magnesium, sodium, and others are the basis for many of the heavily researched inorganic compounds. An inorganic chemist may work in crystallography research and electronics applications, such as the development of semiconductor grade silicon, because many metals’ properties are determined their crystal structure. For the same types of materials, cutting-edge research in inorganic chemistry is used in the synthesis of superconducting materials, composites, and high-grade ceramics.
Because inorganic chemical research focuses on material properties, inorganic chemists have a closer relationship with physicists and engineers in industry than organic chemists, who are more concerned with environmental research and living systems. Inorganic chemists are also more likely to work in laboratories conducting basic research in fields like nuclear energy and solid-state electronics, or developing new chemical catalysts or fuels. An inorganic chemist working for the government or a large corporation may conduct pure research to identify new compounds and interactions, but they are more often concerned with practical improvements in currently manufactured synthetic materials.
Inorganic chemists are in higher demand in materials science research than in other traditional fields like mining and computer science. Materials science also attracts physicists and chemical engineers, who collaborate closely with inorganic chemists on projects. They’re all interested in learning about material properties and structures. In materials science, the chemist’s job is to decipher these properties so that new compounds can be predicted and synthesized.
For an inorganic chemist, polymer science is a large subset of materials science that includes the synthesis of plastic materials as well as the production of coatings and adhesives. Ceramics research, which focuses on the atomic level and high-tech applications such as silicon carbide heat shields for spacecraft and advanced automotive and turbine engine parts, is another small but rapidly growing field. Governments, such as the United States’, are now employing inorganic chemists to investigate methods of recovering metals from waste streams for aerospace companies that use a lot of heavy metals in the manufacturing of aircraft bodies and parts.