U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Material Measurement Laboratory

Chemical Sciences Division

Projects/Programs

Displaying 26 - 50 of 135
Photograph of SRM 3950 Vitamin B6 in Frozen Human Serum with labeled box and frosty capped bottles containing level 1 and level 2.

Development of Serum-Based SRMs to Assess Nutritional Status

Ongoing
Vitamin deficiencies are generally considered rare in the U.S., but a growing body of evidence suggests that certain deficiencies may be more prevalent than originally thought. For example, it has been estimated that 10 % to 15 % of adults over the age of sixty are affected by vitamin B 12
Photograph of SRM 2669 Arsenic Species in Frozen Human Urine, with vials and desiccant packs, and labeled mylar bag.

Development of SRM 2669 for Accurate Assessment of Arsenic Exposure

Ongoing
Arsenic exposure in the U.S. population is an important part of the NHANES program conducted by CDC because dietary exposure to arsenic can cause serious health effects. A major challenge in the arsenic exposure assessment is that arsenic exists as various species in nature, and the toxicity of
GC-ICP-MS Chromatogram

Development of SRM 955c Toxic Elements in Caprine Blood

Completed
Intended Impact Over the last three decades, NIST, with support from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and in conjunction with the New York State Department of Health’s (NYSDOH) Wadsworth Center, has produced a number of frozen whole blood certified reference materials containing endogenous
Dietary QAP

Dietary Supplement Laboratory Quality Assurance Program (DSQAP)

Ongoing
Approximately 75% of the U.S. population takes dietary supplements, including vitamins and mineral supplements, representing an annual expenditure of more than $20 billion. Regulations, driven by reported cases of inaccurate labeling, adulteration, contamination (with pesticides, heavy metals, or

Environmental Leaching of Nanoparticles from Consumer Products

Ongoing
New nanotechnology-based consumer products are currently entering the market at a rate of 3 or 4 per week, and it is estimated that $2.6 trillion in manufactured goods will contain nanotechnology by 2014. Unfortunately, the overall safety of short- and long-term exposure to nanoparticles and the
Hexagon containing words “environmental metabolomics” with arrows pointing from the hexagon to each of the following images: coral, shrimp, mussel, microbe, horseshoe crab, plant. The circle figure has waves and a tree faded in the background.

Environmental Metabolomics

Ongoing
The application of metabolomics techniques to environmental systems biology offers a promising opportunity to achieve insights into non-model organism biology. Each biological system manifests distinctive challenges that offer insights into criteria important for rigorous study design and method
Photo with a person making notes on the notepad and superimposed graphics of check boxes and charts

Environmental Metrology Measurement Assistant (EMMA)

Ongoing
Quantification of environmental metrology data can be complex at the level on which NIST operates. Projects often include dozens of samples from multiple matrices and can target well over 300 analytes of vastly different chemical properties, each of which must be individually assessed. Quality
Ammunition metal box with explosives sticker.

Explosives Decomposition Chemistry

Completed
Intended Impact Computational modeling and simulation will help in the invention of new explosives, the design of compounded mixtures of existing materials, and the engineering of delivered systems such as military ordnance. Objective Detailed chemistry is a necessary part of computational
Photograph of SRM 2378 Fatty Acids in Human Serum showing three vials labeled Serum 1, Serum 2, and Serum 3.

Fatty Acids in Human Serum and Plasma Quality Assurance Program (FAQAP)

Completed
Interlaboratory comparison studies of the FAQAP focused on the measurement of 24 fatty acids in selected serum and plasma matrices. Frozen or freeze-dried serum or plasma samples were sent to laboratories for analysis together with control materials. Results were returned to NIST for data evaluation
Food Nutrition Safety QAP

Food Nutrition and Safety Measurements Quality Assurance Program (FNSQAP)

Ongoing
As part of a revamp of QAPs in 2021, NIST established the FNSQAP to support the NIST Food Safety Program and Measurements and Standards to Support Nutrition Labeling. Participants measure nutrient components (e.g., minerals, vitamins, fatty acids, dietary fiber) and contaminants (e.g., toxic
Photograph of a labeled amber bottle containing SRM 2683c Bituminous Coal.

Fossil Fuel Standard Reference Materials

Ongoing
The regulatory requirements with respect to air quality and fossil fuel specifications are continually changing, and consequently the associated measurement needs of the fossil fuel energy industries also change. For example, in recent years there has been a dramatic reduction in the allowable
Logo for Free Energy and Advanced Sampling Simulation Toolkit (FEASST)

Free Energy and Advanced Sampling Simulation Toolkit (FEASST)

Ongoing
Intended Impact While flat-histogram Monte Carlo simulations have been shown to be a promising method for the direct calculation of complex fluid phase behavior with a variety of applications, most open-source Monte Carlo simulation packages do not support this method. We have therefore made FEASST
Photograph of SRM SRM 1694a sulfur dioxide in nitrogen showing a labeled gas cylinder.

Gas Concentration Standards Supporting Atmospheric Monitoring

Ongoing
NIST develops suites of SI-traceable, amount-of-substance, primary gas standard mixtures (PSMs) for key trace and greenhouse gas species to provide traceability to the International System of Units for a range of user communities. Standard Reference Materials (SRMs), certified to the PSMs, are
GutMicrobiome

Gut Microbiome Metabolomics Interlaboratory Program

Ongoing
On behalf of the Biosystems and Biomaterials and Chemical Sciences Divisions at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), we would like to thank you for your interest in our new Gut Microbiome Metabolomics Program. As part of the larger  NIST Microbiome Program, this metabolomics