Does research/lab work in analytical chemistry involve the use of microscopes?

[MusicPerson]

Just wondering =)...

[dragenie]

Not as far as I can tell, no.
I just spent an 8 week placement with GlaxoSmithKline doing analytical chemistry with mass spectrometry and I have not once used a microscope.
My university chemistry lab hasn't used a microscope once either, so I would guess not =].
I hope not.
I hate microscopes.

[Otts Shoals]

Yes, there are many fields where microscopes are used including:

textiles
plastics
metal work
air pollution monitoring
environmental toxicology
wastewater bacteria examination
microbiological examination
medical research
and of course forensics, just watch any of the CSIs

There are many more, in fact, there are almost no areas that do not use microscopes in some applications.

[Microscope Co]

Absolutely.

Depending on what type of applications your lab is dealing in, the microscope can prove to be an invaluable tool to chemists on the research level.

Some of our best customers are chemists.

They can spend up to $20,000.00 on a microscope like the Nikon 80i.

It really comes down to the end users needs.