A chemist is a scientist who studies what substances are made of and how they change during reactions. In some countries, “chemist” can also mean a pharmacist who prepares and sells medicines.
“Chemist” comes from “chemistry,” which grew out of “alchemy,” the older practice of trying to turn metals into gold and find magical cures. Over time, the mystical parts were dropped, and the careful experimental side became modern chemistry.
Today’s chemist is a kind of cleaned-up, evidence-based version of the old alchemist. Instead of chasing gold from lead, they design plastics, fuels, and medicines that quietly run the modern world. Every battery, soap, and pill you use is a chemist’s invisible signature.
For centuries, chemists were predominantly male in many regions due to formal education barriers and professional exclusion for women. Historical records often foreground male chemists and underreport women’s contributions in laboratories, industry, and pharmacy.
Use 'chemist' as a gender-neutral professional title and avoid assuming a chemist’s gender; when giving examples, deliberately include chemists of different genders and backgrounds.
Highlight chemists such as Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin, Dorothy Hodgkin, and contemporary women and nonbinary chemists whose work has been central but frequently minimized in mainstream narratives.
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