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Field · Physical Sciences

Chemistry research

Chemistry is a field of the Physical Sciences. Science Explorer counts 3M research works in it since 1950. 15.9% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

In short: branch of physical science concerned with the composition, structure and properties of matter.

Research works
3M
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
485k
per year above
Top-10% rate
15.9%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Topics
101
Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
-5%
the tick is no change

What is Chemistry research about, and what is growing?

By the world's output in 2019–23, its most used keywords are Catalysis, Synthesis, Medicinal Chemistry, Organic Synthesis, Hydrogenation, Heterocycles. Gaining share since 2009–13: Catalytic Reduction, Nitro Compounds, Green Synthesis, Nanocomposites, Gas Adsorption. Losing share: Enantioselective Synthesis, Asymmetric Synthesis, Hydrogen Bonding, Green Chemistry.

▲ gaining share of this field◆ holding its share▼ losing share

Size is the world's fractional works in 2019–23 in the topics tagged with each word; colour compares the word's share of this field with 2009–13. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Catalysis50k◆ 1.06×11 topics
  2. Synthesis41k▼ 0.85×18 topics
  3. Medicinal Chemistry32k◆ 1.00×7 topics
  4. Organic Synthesis30k◆ 0.95×11 topics
  5. Hydrogenation26k▲ 1.34×3 topics
  6. Heterocycles25k▼ 0.82×9 topics
  7. Crystal Engineering25k▲ 1.58×2 topics
  8. Transition Metal Catalysis24k◆ 0.90×4 topics
  9. Heterocyclic Compounds23k◆ 0.93×6 topics
  10. Supramolecular Chemistry23k▲ 1.20×4 topics
  11. Metal-Organic Frameworks23k▲ 1.78×2 topics
  12. Nanocomposites22k▲ 2.4×3 topics
  13. Chemoselective22k◆ 1.08×4 topics
  14. Green Chemistry21k▼ 0.75×7 topics
  15. Anticancer Agents21k◆ 1.00×5 topics
  16. Mass Spectrometry21k◆ 1.07×3 topics
  17. Heterogeneous Catalysis20k▲ 1.73×2 topics
  18. Porous Materials20k▲ 1.84×2 topics
  19. Detection20k▲ 1.34×1 topic
  20. Electrochemical20k▲ 1.34×1 topic
  21. Gas Adsorption19k▲ 2.0×1 topic
  22. Methane Storage19k▲ 2.0×1 topic
  23. Drug Discovery18k◆ 0.94×4 topics
  24. Enantioselective Synthesis18k▼ 0.65×7 topics
  25. Coordination Chemistry17k▼ 0.76×4 topics
  26. Metal-Catalyzed Reactions17k◆ 1.08×3 topics
  27. Green Synthesis16k▲ 2.4×2 topics
  28. Ionic Liquids16k◆ 0.98×2 topics
  29. Biological Evaluation16k▼ 0.79×6 topics
  30. Green Analytical Chemistry16k◆ 1.08×2 topics
  31. Transition Metal Complexes16k▲ 1.25×3 topics
  32. Multivariate Calibration15k▲ 1.63×1 topic
  33. Near-Infrared Spectroscopy15k▲ 1.63×1 topic
  34. Catalytic Reduction15k▲ 2.6×1 topic
  35. Nitro Compounds15k▲ 2.6×1 topic
  36. Self-Assembly15k◆ 0.87×3 topics
  37. Adsorption14k◆ 0.87×2 topics
  38. Hydrogen Bonding14k▼ 0.70×4 topics
  39. Proteomics14k◆ 0.90×2 topics
  40. Asymmetric Synthesis14k▼ 0.65×7 topics

Which countries lead Chemistry research?

On research quality in 2022–2025, China, the United States and India rank highest in Chemistry. By volume, China and India publish the most (97k and 38k works in 2022–2025).

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 China · #2 all time 21.1% top 10% · 97k works
  2. 2 United States · #1 all time 16.9% top 10% · 31k works
  3. 3 India · #7 all time 13.6% top 10% · 38k works
  4. 4 Germany · #3 all time 15.4% top 10% · 13k works
  5. 5 United Kingdom · #4 all time 19.4% top 10% · 7k works
  6. 6 Saudi Arabia · #19 all time 23.6% top 10% · 4.5k works
  7. 7 Spain · #8 all time 16.2% top 10% · 6.2k works
  8. 8 France · #6 all time 12.1% top 10% · 9.2k works
  9. 9 Iran · #15 all time 16.3% top 10% · 7.9k works
  10. 10 South Korea · #14 all time 16.5% top 10% · 5.3k works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 73 countries ranked in Chemistry. Composite of field-normalised excellence (50%), output (30%) and citations (20%); the bracket is the all-time rank.

All countries ranked in Chemistry

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 China 97k works
  2. 2 India 38k works
  3. 3 United States 31k works
  4. 4 Russia 14k works
  5. 5 Germany 13k works
  6. 6 Japan 12k works
  7. 7 France 9.2k works
  8. 8 Iran 7.9k works
  9. 9 United Kingdom 7k works
  10. 10 Spain 6.2k works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

China: 41.2%India: 16.3%United States: 13.2%Russia: 6.0%6 others listed: 23.4%41%largest
China97k · 41.2%India38k · 16.3%United States31k · 13.2%Russia14k · 6.0%6 others listed55k · 23.4%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Chemistry research?

Chinese Academy of Sciences (China) ranks first in Chemistry on research quality in 2022–2025, followed by Nankai University and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Chinese Academy of Sciences China · Beijing · #1 all time 23.6% top 10% · 2.3k works
  2. 2 Nankai University China · Tianjin · #31 all time 30.7% top 10% · 1.1k works
  3. 3 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences China · Beijing · #51 all time 24.5% top 10% · 1.4k works
  4. 4 Zhejiang University China · Hangzhou · #32 all time 25.5% top 10% · 969 works
  5. 5 Tsinghua University China · Beijing · #38 all time 26.0% top 10% · 819 works
  6. 6 University of Science and Technology of China China · Hefei · #53 all time 24.5% top 10% · 894 works
  7. 7 Sichuan University China · Chengdu · #68 all time 23.0% top 10% · 1.3k works
  8. 8 Nanjing University China · Nanjing · #28 all time 26.7% top 10% · 712 works
  9. 9 Southern University of Science and Technology China · Shenzhen 31.8% top 10% · 531 works
  10. 10 Wuhan University China · Wuhan · #56 all time 31.3% top 10% · 546 works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 1,330 institutions above the floor of 40 fractional works in Chemistry.

Top 100 Chemistry institutions

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Chinese Academy of Sciences China 2.3k works
  2. 2 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique France 1.5k works
  3. 3 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences China 1.4k works
  4. 4 Sichuan University China 1.3k works
  5. 5 Nankai University China 1.1k works
  6. 6 Zhejiang University China 969 works
  7. 7 Zhengzhou University China 949 works
  8. 8 University of Science and Technology of China China 894 works
  9. 9 East China University of Science and Technology China 878 works
  10. 10 Tsinghua University China 819 works

Who are the leading researchers in Chemistry?

Among the most productive authors in Chemistry, John A. Pople, Matthias Mann and Peter A. Kollman rank highest on the composite score.

  1. 1 John A. Pople United States · #77 worldwide 11k citations · 142 works
  2. 2 Matthias Mann Germany · #116 worldwide 5.1k citations · 154 works
  3. 3 Peter A. Kollman United States · #128 worldwide 6.3k citations · 134 works
  4. 4 William L. Jorgensen United States · #209 worldwide 4.5k citations · 119 works
  5. 5 Donald G. Truhlar United States · #255 worldwide 8.4k citations · 315 works
  6. 6 K. Barry Sharpless United States · #863 worldwide 3.3k citations · 145 works
  7. 7 Michael J. S. Dewar United States · #993 worldwide 4.3k citations · 217 works
  8. 8 Corwin Hansch United States · #1,127 worldwide 2.9k citations · 94 works
  9. 9 Martin Karplus United States · #1,154 worldwide 4.7k citations · 163 works
  10. 10 Linus Pauling United States · #1,259 worldwide 2k citations · 150 works

Re-ranked on the composite score from the 5,861 highest-output authors in Chemistry. Identities come from OpenAlex author disambiguation, which occasionally merges or splits people.

Top 100 Chemistry researchers

Where is Chemistry research done?

The largest centres of Chemistry research in 2022–2025 are Beijing (China), Shanghai (China), Moscow (Russia) and Nanjing (China). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Mülheim, Pittsboro and Gansu.

Largest cities, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Beijing China 14k works
  2. 2 Shanghai China 6.4k works
  3. 3 Moscow Russia 5.1k works
  4. 4 Nanjing China 4.6k works
  5. 5 Hangzhou China 3.8k works
  6. 6 Guangzhou China 3.6k works
  7. 7 Tianjin China 3.4k works
  8. 8 Tokyo Japan 3.3k works
  9. 9 Wuhan China 3.2k works
  10. 10 Paris France 3k works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. MülheimDE · 274.0 works16×
  2. PittsboroUS · 31.5 works14×
  3. Gansu35.3 works13×
  4. Iasi20.8 works13×
  5. KadiIN · 31.0 works13×
  6. KarīmnagarIN · 20.3 works12×
  7. MilfordUS · 42.8 works12×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Chemistry than the world average.

See Chemistry on the map

Chemistry research by country

The best places for Chemistry research inside each country, with that country's researchers and world standing.

Where is the best place to study Chemistry?

Among universities, judged by research, Henan Normal University, Southern University of Science and Technology and Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%20%40%mean 25.85%fractional works in this node (log) →share in the world top 10% →Henan Normal University: 654, 33.3%Southern University of Science and Technology: 531, 31.8%Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research: 760, 11.9%Nankai University: 1,072, 30.7%ShanghaiTech University: 232, 30.1%Nanjing Forestry University: 572, 29.9%Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata: 270, 19.8%University of Chinese Academy of Sciences: 1,365, 24.5%Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University: 205, 24.2%East China University of Technology: 248, 22.3%Henan Normal Univers…Southern University …Nankai UniversityAcademy of Scientifi…
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1Henan Normal University China 66.633.3%10.1×654 +1.1%
2Southern University of Science and Technology China 60.631.8%3.1×531 +1060.4%
3Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research India 55.411.9%7.5×760 +490.4%
4Nankai University China 54.830.7%5.0×1,072 -16.7%
5ShanghaiTech University China 53.730.1%3.9×232 +3418.4%
6Nanjing Forestry University China 53.029.9%3.9×572 +90.6%
7Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata India 53.019.8%11.7×270 +59.0%
8University of Chinese Academy of Sciences China 52.324.5%2.6×1,365 +97.9%
9Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Saudi Arabia 51.624.2%2.5×205 +203.2%
10East China University of Technology China 50.922.3%8.5×248 +78.0%

Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.

Is Chemistry research growing?

Output in 2018–2022 was 5% lower than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2014. The fastest-growing topics are Nanomaterials for catalytic reactions, Catalytic C–H Functionalization Methods and Metal-Organic Frameworks: Synthesis and Applications.

19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

  1. Nanomaterials for catalytic reactions+266%
  2. Catalytic C–H Functionalization Methods+153%
  3. Metal-Organic Frameworks: Synthesis and Applications+93%
  4. Molecular Sensors and Ion Detection+84%
  5. Spectroscopy and Chemometric Analyses+50%
  6. Electrochemical Analysis and Applications+45%
  7. Synthetic Organic Chemistry Methods-30%
  8. Asymmetric Synthesis and Catalysis-31%
  9. Organometallic Complex Synthesis and Catalysis-37%
  10. Chemical Thermodynamics and Molecular Structure-45%
← shrinkingno changegrowing →

Growth in output from 2005–09 to 2015–19. Every topic is a page of its own.

What does Chemistry include?

Analytical Chemistry and Chromatography: 136k fractional worksElectrochemical Analysis and Applications: 113k fractional worksMass Spectrometry Techniques and Applications: 86k fractional worksAnalytical chemistry methods development: 68k fractional worksSpectroscopy and Chemome…65kSpectroscopy and Chemometric Analyses: 65k fractional worksMetal-Organic Frameworks: Synthesis and Applications: 64k fractional worksSpectroscopy and Laser Applications: 63k fractional worksRadioactive element chemistry and processing: 63k fractional worksSynthetic Organic Chemistry Methods: 62k fractional worksSynthesis and biological activity: 58k fractional worksOrganometallic Complex Synthesis and Catalysis: 56k fractional worksCarbohydrate Chemistry and Synthesis: 56k fractional works

Area is fractional works in that topic. Every name below is a page of its own.