Chemical Sciences Division

We provide the measurement science, standards, technology, and data that help members of industry, other government agencies, and academia make still more progress in the chemical sciences, from assessing human health with diagnostic tests to determining the nutritional value of food and supplements, from setting emissions standards to assessing the climate.

Climate Science

Plastic Pollution

Polyfluorinated Substances

Food Safety

Photograph of a researcher accessing samples stored in a liquid nitrogen vapor freezer in a clean room.

Biospecimen Science

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Cannabis Metrology

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Chemical Informatics

Nano Metrology

A closeup shot of a chemical vapor deposition CVD chamber, which is used to deposit thin films of material onto the wafer surface.

Advanced Materials

News and Updates

New Frequency Comb Can Identify Molecules in 20-Nanosecond Snapshots

October 30, 2023

Laser-based system now has the ability to capture moment-to-moment details of high-speed processes such as hypersonic propulsion and protein folding.

Someone wearing a safety vest holds up a handful of black plastic pellets.

Spotlight: Paving the Way With Recycled Plastics in the State of Hawai‘i

October 3, 2023

In the state of Hawai‘i, our collaborators are building asphalt roads with recycled plastics. It’s part of a sustainable transportation initiative. NIST is

Woman in safety glasses stands next to an enclosed space with scientific equipment inside.

Spotlight: Postdoctoral Researcher Ana Morales and the Nanoscale Plastics Pervading Our World

September 21, 2023

Nanoplastics are shedding from places you might not expect, including single-use coffee cups and laundry.

Four small dark glass ampules stand on a lab table, market with skull and crossbones danger icons.

NIST Researchers Develop Standards to Help Eliminate ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Firefighting Foams

September 18, 2023

These foams contain chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that have raised environmental and health concerns.

Events

NIST Food Safety Workshop

Mon, Oct 28 - Thu, Oct 31 2019

NIST has extensive experience in preparation and characterization of reference materials and providing measurement

ASTM Workshop on the Impact of Accreditation on Reference Materials and Method Development in Analytical Laboratories Supporting the Metals and Ores Industries

Mon, May 19 2014

PURPOSE ASTM International Committee E01 on Analytical Chemistry of Metals, Ores and Related Materials held a workshop,

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Projects and Programs

Photograph depicting IC manufacturing showing glowing squares on a round wafer, with a yellow triangular warning indicator labeled UV.

Advanced IC Interconnects - Process Metrology and Models

Ongoing

The objective for Advanced IC Interconnects is to provide measurement standards and advanced measurement methods supporting metrology needs of the semiconductor

Advanced Materials Characterization

Ongoing

The Chemical Sciences Division supports the characterization of new, diverse, and technological critical materials. The constant evolution of material science

Audit of EPA Protocol Gas Suppliers

Ongoing

EPA Protocol gas mixture calibration standards are obtained by users to measure emissions of regulated gaseous species and ensure that they comply with US

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Biological and Environmental Monitoring and Archival of Sea Turtle Tissues (BEMAST)

Ongoing

BEMAST archives a representative collection of tissues annually in the U.S. Pacific Islands from prioritized sea turtles species and geographic locations for

Awards

Word collage (reference materials, QC tools, repeatability, compatibility, reproducibility, etc. over top of small jar

2023 - Best Review Award Published in 2022---Clay Davis, Goncalo Gouveia, Christina Jones, Katrice Lippa, and Tracey Schock

" Reference Materials for MS-based Untargeted Metabolomics and Lipidomics: A Review by the Metabolomics Quality Assurance and Quality

2022 - 5 Sigma Physicist Award---Michelle Bailey

Michelle Bailey is being recognized as a member of the joint Optica/APS Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations report panel. She

2022 - Bronze Medal Award---Mary Bedner, Jacolin Murray, Aaron Urbas, Walter Wilson

For developing analytical methods to characterize the safety and effectiveness of hand sanitizers used to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Huong Giang T. Nguyen, Laura Espinal, Blaza Toman Bronze award

2022 - Bronze Medal Award---Huong Giang T. Nguyen, Laura Espinal, Blaza Toman

For the determination of high-pressure reference isotherms of nanoscale porous adsorbents.

Press Coverage

Keeping up America’s standards is the job of NIST

The Economist

August 17, 2022

Melissa Phillips and NIST collaborators explain why NIST reference materials are so important to industry, monitoring environmental and human health, and much

Four images in a grid show increasingly larger plastic particles.

Getting a grip on microplastics’ risks

C&EN

May 27, 2022

NIST's Christopher Zangmeister discusses his team's work exploring plastic nanoparticles released by food-preserving film and coffee cups.

NIST research biologist Jennifer M. Keller taking a blood sample from a loggerhead turtle

Study seeks origins of ghost nets that haunt Hawaii’s shores

Associated Press

May 27, 2021

A project to identify the fibers in discarded nets washed ashore can help policy makers address the sources of this pollution that devastates corals and

Microplastics are everywhere — but are they harmful?

Nature

May 4, 2021

"Researchers still can’t agree on whether pollutant-carrying microplastics are a significant problem, says Jennifer Lynch, a marine biologist affiliated with

Featured Videos

Reference Materials and Reliable Food Measurements

NIST Analytical Chemistry Supports Industry and Health

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