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Material Measurement Laboratory

Chemical Sciences Division

News and Updates

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An Aid for Instrumentation for Measuring Active Compounds in Ginseng

July 12, 2021

Ginsenosides are thought to be the active compounds in ginseng, a plant long used in Chinese medicine that is now a popular supplement and the subject of...

NIST Researchers Use Novel Method to Understand the Molecular Underpinnings of a Tumorlike Disease Affecting Coral Reefs

July 9, 2021

Coral reefs are a favorite spot for scuba divers and are among the world’s most diverse ecosystems. For example, the Hawaiian coral reefs, known as the...

New NIST Reference Material Aids in Measurement of Cocoa's Active Molecules

July 1, 2021

Cocoa, the substance from which chocolate is made, is thought to have benefits to the human cardiovascular system and so has been the focus of many clinical...

Two New NIST Reference Materials for Assuring Measurements of Nutrients in Formula

June 30, 2021

To help ensure that babies and patients get all the essential amino acids and other nutrients that they need, infant and prescription adult nutritional formulas...

A New Control for Measuring Active Compounds and Contaminants in Ginger Root

June 30, 2021

A new NIST reference material for ginger, a popular remedy for nausea, provides values for arsenic, mercury, and lead, helping manufacturers ensure that their...

NIST Quality Assurance Program for Health Assessment Measurements Open for Registration

March 26, 2021

The latest exercise in NIST's Health Assessment Measurements Quality Assurance Program ( HAMQAP) is open for registration. HAMQAP, a collaboration with the...

Study Indicates That Humidity in Breath Makes Cotton Masks More Effective at Slowing the Spread of COVID-19

March 9, 2021

Researchers have come up with a better way to test which fabrics work best for masks that are meant to slow the spread of COVID-19. By testing those fabrics...

A Better Way to Measure Acceleration

March 8, 2021

You’re going at the speed limit down a two-lane road when a car barrels out of a driveway on your right. You slam on the brakes, and within a fraction of a...

A woman (Alix Rodowa) wearing a mask and a lab coat works with scientific equipment.

Spotlight: Alix Rodowa and PFAS in Groundwater

January 15, 2021

Water has fascinated postdoctoral researcher Alix Rodowa since her days in a high school environmental science club. Now, she takes a sample of life at NIST in...

A scientist in lab coat and rubber gloves places a large clear bag of marijuana on a weighing scale.

NIST Study Will Help Labs Distinguish Between Hemp and Marijuana

January 14, 2021

Hemp and marijuana both come from the Cannabis plant. But legally, they are very different. If cannabis has less than 0.3% THC — for tetrahydrocannabinol, the...

A woman wearing safety goggles and a mask poses in front of a cabinet holding vials.

Spotlight: Kathy Peter’s Cross-County Journey Toward NIST Research Into ‘Forever Chemicals’

December 11, 2020

Search, seek and define — NIST postdoctoral researcher Kathy Peter is on a mission to uncover chemical compounds that fall into the category of PFAS (per- and...

K9 Chemistry: A Safer Way to Train Detection Dogs

December 2, 2020

Trained dogs are incredible chemical sensors, far better at detecting explosives, narcotics and other substances than even the most advanced technological...

New Airflow Videos Show Why Masks With Exhalation Valves Do Not Slow the Spread of COVID-19

November 10, 2020

Many people wear masks in public to slow the spread of COVID-19, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, masks with...

A woman in lab coat, safety glasses and a mask stands at a lab bench weighing samples.

NIST Researchers Advance Efforts to Accurately Measure Glyphosate Pesticide in Common Foods

November 2, 2020

Pesticides help farmers increase food production, reduce costly damage to crops, and even prevent the spread of insect-borne diseases, but since the chemicals...

A woman with safety goggles and gloves stands at a lab bench.

A Better Alternative to Phthalates?

September 25, 2020

Detergents, shampoos, soaps and other everyday items sometimes contain a group of chemicals called phthalates, which are often used to enhance products and add...

woman holding a North American Atlantic salmon

Spotlight: The Trek North for Precious Mucus Hormones in Salmon

September 23, 2020

Something smells fishy, and NIST postdoctoral researcher Erin Legacki is on the job to figure out what’s happening. The North American Atlantic salmon has seen...

Two birds with black heads and white bellies stand on a rock.

Climate Variability May Alter Pollutants in Some Sub-Arctic Birds

August 11, 2020

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and Emory University have discovered that some bird species in the sub-Arctic tend to ingest...

Green leafy material inside a graduated cylinder.

NIST to Help Labs Achieve Accurate THC, CBD Measurements

July 21, 2020

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has launched a program to help laboratories accurately measure key chemical compounds in marijuana...

Micrograph shows coiled fibers on yellow background with inset of lighter yellow square.

Face Coverings Made From Layered Cotton Fabric Likely Slow the Spread of COVID-19 Better Than Synthetics, New Study Finds

June 29, 2020

Researchers have completed a new study of how well a variety of natural and synthetic fabrics filter particles of a similar size to the virus that causes COVID...

A large brown seal is in the snow. It has whiskers that look like a beard on a human male.

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