A physical chemist studies how matter works on a molecular level and how a chemical reaction occurs. As a physical chemist, your responsibilities vary based on the industry in which you choose to work, but you often work closely with materials scientists in a laboratory, conducting research and developing uses for new materials. You can take on a career as an analytical chemist where you use various methods such as diffraction, infrared, and microscopy to assemble molecules, see how they grow, and determine how they add different properties to products. Your primary duties in this position include analyzing materials and developing ways to test and characterize their properties. Equipment you use includes analytical instruments such as mass spectrometers, electron microscopes, and lasers.