Amount of substance

News and Updates

After 90 Years, a Better Way to Measure the Composition of Paper

February 14, 2019

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in collaboration with the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO), have developed a

NIST researcher Jodie Pope with the big blue ball

Better Flowmeters with the Big Blue Ball

February 24, 2017

Last year, upwards of 25 trillion cubic feet of natural gas were delivered to customers in the United States, and when it changed hands, nearly every cubic foot

How Sweet It Is: NIST Metrology and the Maple Syrup Industry

January 4, 2017

NIST is frequently asked to provide unusual, sometimes downright exotic, measurements and calibrations in support of U.S. commerce. But even old hands in the

Redefining the SI Base Units

November 2, 2011

Note: Much more recent information is available about redefinition of the SI units. For a comprehensive general overview, see How to Weigh Everything from

Projects and Programs

International Comparisons for Chemical Measurements

Because of NIST's role as the National Metrology Institute (NMI) in the U.S., the Chemical Sciences Division's measurement capabilities must be benchmarked

Advanced Ambient Mass Spectrometry, Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry, and Ion Mobility Spectrometry

The Surface and Trace Chemical Analysis Group (STCAG) conducts both applied and fundamental research into the development, characterization, and analysis of

Ambient and Atmospheric Pressure Mass Spectrometry

Ambient and atmospheric pressure mass spectrometry platforms provide sample collection, transport, and ionization for vapor, aerosol, and liquid samples

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry Ion Source Development

The use of cluster sources such as C60 and argon gas cluster ion beams (Ar GCIB) allow for the analysis of the subsurface volume. It can also minimize the

Publications

The role of the CCQM OAWG in providing SI traceable calibrators for organic chemical measurements

October 8, 2019

Author(s)

Katrice A. Lippa, David L. Duewer, Michael A. Nelson, Stephen Davies, Lindsey Mackay

Metrological traceability for organic measurements is a documented unbroken chain of calibrations with stated uncertainties that link the chemical result for a

Stability of gaseous volatile organic compounds contained in gas cylinders with different internal wall treatments

July 29, 2019

Author(s)

George C. Rhoderick, Christina E. Cecelski, Walter R. Miller Jr., David Worton, Sergi Moreno, Paul Brewer, Joele Viallon, Faraz Idrees, Philippe Moussay, Yong D. Kim, Dal H. Kim, Sangil Lee, Annarita Baldan, Jianrong Li

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a group of gas-phase compounds present in the atmosphere that affect air quality and Earths climate. Halocarbons, a

Certification of Standard Reference Material® 2193b Calcium Carbonate [used as saturated Ca(OH)2 solution]

May 16, 2019

Author(s)

Regina A. Easley, Jason F. Waters, William F. Guthrie

CCQM-K142 Comparison of CRMs and Value-Assigned Quality Controls: Urea and Uric Acid in Human Serum or Plasma

March 21, 2019

Author(s)

David L. Duewer, Katrice A. Lippa, Blaza Toman, Tang Lin Teo, Qinde Liu, Pui Sze Cheow

The 2017 CCQM-K142 Comparison of CRMs and Value-Assigned Quality Controls: Urea and Uric Acid in Human Serum or Plasma is the third Key Comparison directly

Tools and Instruments

Local Electrode Atom Probe Tomography (LEAP)

Field evaporates (with a voltage and laser pulse) a sharp tip-shaped specimen. Collects the ionization products in a position-sensitive, time-of-flight mass

Material Analysis Using Neutron Depth Profiling

Light elements such as helium, lithium, boron, and nitrogen are essential constituents in materials that enable energy technologies; lithium ion batteries