Job Descriptions - Definitions - Career Fields: Biochemist

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Biochemist

In order to become a chemist you must have an extremely enquiring mind and be deeply interested in chemistry and physics. You also need to have the ability and foresight to plan and carry out complicated projects. As you would usually be working in a close relationship with other scientists, you would have to be able to relate to and get on well with people.
Pure research is an important aspect of chemistry because you would have to study the composition, structure and characteristics of different materials as well as the processes and changes which they undergo. In the applied field, called "technology" this knowledge is used in areas as diverse as household products, cosmetics, musical instruments, preservations, agriculture, detergents, medicines, fuels, communication media, explosives, rockets, research, nutrients, fertilisers and so on.

Biochemistry is a fundamental science which deals with the building blocks and controlling mechanisms of life. It is a very broad discipline with two main objectives - to identify and describe the chemical components of life and to discover how these components act and interact in processes essential to life. You could assist in making important discoveries in the war against cancer, AIDS and in biotechnology (e.g. the conversion of biological material into fuel).

Among the most important systems of the body is the blood; it is also one of the most vulnerable. At the beginning of the 20th century, blood transfusions were very dangerous and even when the outcome was successful it was a touch-and-go affair which sometimes led to fatalities. Karl Landsteiner, in 1900, identified three major blood groups and devised ways of identifying them. In 1940, he made another contribution with his discovery of the Rh (Rhesus) factor. In the late 20th century, a balanced diet is taken for granted but back then, it was only suspected that some foods contained health-giving properties. In 1890 a Dutch medical officer observed that the incidence of beriberi was linked with diet and that it was better to eat brown rice and not white rice. He was partly correct but the right answer was found by the British biochemist, F.C. Hopkins, when he discovered vitamins.

The importance of a chemical approach to biological problems was quickly noted by scientists from all over the world and biochemistry became an important field of biology. The newly-found tubercle bacillus were stained with dyes by German bacteriologist Paul Ehrlich (1854-1915). He reasoned that if he could stain bacterial materials, they could also absorb substances toxic to themselves but harmless to the tissues that they had invaded. In 1909 he used the arsenical compound Salvarsan effectively as a treatment for syphilis. Ehrlich was awarded a Nobel prize in 1908 and shared it with the Russian-French biologist, I.I. Mechnikov who had done important research on the role of white blood cells in attacking invading bacteria.

Some truly incredible inventions have been made by chemists. Madame Marie Curie, probably one of the most famous scientists in history, discovered two new elements while doing a chemical analysis. If you are interested in chemistry, you will already know what they were and how they affected the entire world. Scientists have not discovered all there is to know about this planet and maybe, during your career, you might also discover some hitherto unknown fact and change the course of history. You might even win a Nobel Prize.

Some notable chemists have altered the course of history. Chemotherapy was first used in 1907 and was introduced to the medical world by the German chemist, Paul Ehrlich who produced a chemical compound - Salvarsan 606 - which cured syphilis. He named it "The Magic Bullet". The Belgian chemist, A. Reychler, noted the effects of detergents and the first commercially available detergent was `Nekal' sold in Germany in 1917 to alleviate wartime soap shortages. In 1807, the English chemist, Humphry Davy passed a current from a powerful battery through molten or fused caustic soda and potash and isolated sodium and potassium. By doing so, he proved the principle of electrolysis which is widely used now in metal refining and is also a means of obtaining aluminium from its ore, bauxite, which is used for electroplating. In 1884, the chemist, Hilaire Chardonnet - a pupil of Louis Pasteur - made artificial silk, rayon, from a highly inflammable chemical derived from plant cellulose and in the 1920's chemists invented plastics, then, in 1935, nylon. Nylon revolutionised fashion by providing luxurious sheer stockings and underwear. In the late 1930's American chemist Robert Boyer took margarine and spun it into strands and this was the forerunner to artificial meat - textured vegetable protein. Schweppes, CocaCola and Indian Tonic Water were invented by chemists as were nonstick pans, paints, lamps and many more that we take for granted but which were thought of and made possible by these people.

* Organic Chemists study the reaction of carbon compounds and the production of new compounds.

* Inorganic Chemists investigate the reactions of compounds not formed by carbon.

* Physical Chemists investigate the fundamental aspects of chemical reactions.

* Analytical Chemists determine which substances are present in a sample and in what quantities.

* Theoretical Chemists attempt to refine existing theories and develop new theories.

* Biochemists study the chemical reactions in living materials.

* Industrial Chemists apply their chemical knowledge to the manufacturing of essential products in every day life.

* Nuclear Chemists use the developments made in the field of nuclear science.

Chemist Technicians are employed by all the above professions as assistants to researchers.

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Career Fields

Biochemistry
Biology and Life Sciences
Science and Technology  
 
 



 
 

Courtesy: CareerExpo

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