so i was wondering which chemistry classes or degrees would be useful for the activities described on this forum

all this hypothetical chemistry is getting me interested in real chemistry

never thought i would say it..but i may just have to go back to college!

Once you get up to organic chemistry I think you're getting in the zone. Organic chemistry lab classes would probably be the most helpful as you would get familiar with a lot of the procedures and equipment vital for synthesizing organic compounds.

Basically, a B.A. in chemistry would cover quite a bit and probably land you a good job.

I was going to major in chemistry, but dropped out. I think one day I'll just buy the books and teach myself what I can.

Become a natural product chemist. We need more!! Not sure where you are living but its still an active field in the U.S. in europe as well but slowly fading as universities cut departments but thats their own stupid mistake. In developing countries its an up and coming field as developing countries have a lot of natural resources and fascinating plants.

also its multidisciplinary so biology + chemistry + medicine + practical industrial applications etc etc. if you ever seen the movie medicine man thats kind of what natural product chemists do.

I second that. It is my intention to abandon my field and move to natural product whatever. Isolating, screening, assaying activities in vitro and in vivo all sound like really cool activities.

Apart from the potential profits one may gain should he/she runs into compounds with ground breaking medicinal properties (not very uncommon but pharm companies hate these type of approaches cuz they are cock-sucking monopoly lovers) one may get to become the second albert hoffman, discovering novel compounds of a more -ahem- interesting nature.

^^Yes excellent ::SWIM looks devious like Mr. Burns::

Although the bioassay guided fractionation method is still used its short comings are many. As you isolate plant compounds sometimes synergy effects are lost and also plants have so many compounds that could be interacting with so many different receptors you can't possible assay for everything. None the less its still very useful.

Anyway systems biology and metabolomics methods are becoming a popular new way to screen either for novel bioactivity or to understand the mechanisms behind herbal medicines. I suggest looking into it these upcoming fields.