Nistspecialpublication260-150.Pdf

National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg Campus, 1999 NIST 260-150 Standard Reference Materials - The First Century Stanley D. Rasberry, Author Tomara Arrington, Composition and Design Standard Reference Materials Program Technology Services National Institute of Standards and Technology Gaithersburg, MD 20899-2320 June 2002 U.S. Department of Commerce Donald L. Evans, Secretary Technology Administration Phillip Bond, Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology National Institute of Standards and Technology Arden L. Bement, Jr. Director Please visit our website www.nist.gov/srm Foreword Standard Reference Materials have played a major role in the history of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), as well as its predecessor organization, the National Bureau of Standards (NBS). Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) were one of the first tangible outputs from the nation’s investment in improved measurement standards and technology that was started at the beginning of the 20th century. As NBS evolved over the last hundred years in terms of scientific capability and fields of work, SRMs have taken on new forms and new roles in ensuring that our Nation is second to none in measurement capability. No one is more familiar with the history of this important program than Stanley Rasberry, long- time Chief of the program as well as a major developer of SRMs himself. In this retrospective, Raspberry captures the spirit and importance of the program for analysts, researchers and tech- nologists everywhere. The reader will find this lively exposition both informative and enlighten- ing about of NIST’s most important programs. John Rumble August 2002 Acknowledgment The Author wishes to acknowledge the fine contributions of Nancy Trahey-Bale and Lee Best for their assistance in preparing this document. Summary Over the course of its first one hundred years, The term Bureau is appropriate to cover the the National Institute of Standards and first 87% of the century. In 1901, the agency Technology (NIST) has made numerous contri- originated as the National Bureau of butions to advancing the science and practice Standards (NBS), but had its name abridged of analytical chemistry. Contributions to fun- to simply Bureau of Standards in 1903. damental constants and reference data, such "National" was restored to the name in 1934, as determination of the Faraday, Avagadro's to differentiate it from the many state-level number, and atomic masses, began at almost bureaus of standards which had been estab- the beginning of this institution when it was lished. There was no further change until formed in 1901. Instrumentation develop- 1988, when the current name National ment, improvement, and reproducible meth- Institute of Standards and Technology was ods for their use have also been an important received. While the name has changed three part of the NIST effort. times, the character of the place has formed largely around one theme. That theme is to This publication describes what may be the support the development of accurate meas- organization's most important and certainly its urements essential to science and technology. most unique contribution; namely, certified Almost as a corollary, work on the measure- reference materials. Ultimately these certified ments has led to advancements in the tech- reference materials would become known at nologies themselves. NIST as standard reference materials (SRMs). This contribution has now been mirrored The mission of the new agency was defined Aerial view around the world with reference materials in its "organic act" legislated by the U.S. of the being certified in at least 25 countries and rou- Congress. While that very brief act makes no National tinely applied in more than twice that number. specific mention of reference materials, sev- Bureau of The result has been more accurate analyses of eral of its key provisions would provide for Standards materials that impact our safety, health, and their inclusion. in 1940. well-being. Background While celebrating the first century of NIST, we must note that the contributions of an organization can only originate within the minds and then hard work of the people of that organization. This is important to remember because in a work as short as this one, it is quite impossible to give fair recog- nition to the thousands who have produced the contributions. It is those people who are remem- bered whenever NIST or "the Bureau" are mentioned. Standard Reference Materials - The First Century 1 The entire charge to the new agency was tions. With these enormous needs in mind, found in six provisions: the Congress of the United States gave care- ful deliberation to the staffing of the new • custody of the standards; Bureau. Initially, it decided it would not be • comparison of the standards used in scien- sufficient to have a director, a physicist and tific investigations, engineering, manufac- two assistant physicists; a chemist and two turing, commerce, and educational insti- assistant chemists also would be allocated. tutions with the standards adopted by or Later, in 1901, the expense of constructing recognized by the Government; the new laboratory and the scarcity of funds • construction, when necessary, of stan- caused the Congress to cancel the two assis- dards, their multiples and subdivisions; tant chemist positions. Thus in its first year, • testing and calibration of standard meas- the young agency began trade-offs between uring apparatus; staff and facilities that last to this day. • solution of problems which arise in con- nection with standards; and, An Urgent Need • determination of physical constants and Many of the greatest technical challenges of the properties of materials, when such the early twentieth century were related to data are of great importance and are not materials and their performance. to be obtained of sufficient accuracy else- Construction of skyscrapers and suspension where. bridges would require new and stronger alloys of steel, and better quality control for The Bureau could have emerged at no more Portland cement used in concrete. Tungsten opportune time. It was the dawn of virtually alloy performance would become critical to every technology that we know today - auto- vacuum tubes for lighting and electronics. mobiles, airplanes, modern ships and locomo- Copper alloys would figure heavily in wiring tives, steel construction, motion pictures, for communications and in valves and fittings practical radio, and subsequently, television, with nearly endless configurations. space craft, computers, and information technology. In the early days, the Bureau was Perhaps the material concerns were nowhere "right in the middle" of every one of these more critical than in the automotive fields. fields. As we shall see, analytical chemistry Practical automobiles and aircraft were on had a role in most. the threshold - they needed an array of new materials The need to be relevant frequently directed ranging the early work in analytical chemistry to top- ics where materials simply were not up to the challenging new applica- Broken axles and car wheels caused numerous derailments. 2 Standard Reference Materials - The First Century from nodular cast irons to high strength aluminum alloys to specialized rubber to carefully tempered glass. New and vastly larger ships were on the drawing boards - they needed new alloys of corrosion resistant steel, monel, bronze, and many other improved materials. Railroad trains had already increased the speed of overland transport by an order of This magnitude, but not without the cost of many prac- lives due to material failures. The first pas- tice senger fatality had occurred in 1833, near could help Heightstown, NJ. Former president John with ques- Quincy Adams and Cornelius Vanderbilt were tions of laboratory aboard the train, but not injured. Preventing internal consistency but shed little light on analytical disagreements among several labo- future loss of lives was an urgent need that D&H Railroad ratories. Methods were practically limited to pressed the Bureau into the new venture of wreck at those based immediately on first principles certifying reference materials. Richmondville, where standards could be physical. This still N.Y. 1/29/1909. In 1905, the American Foundrymen's left open questions of completeness of sepa- Association approached the Bureau to see if ration, stoichiometry, purity of reagents, and it would assume leadership of a new work other issues. Evaluating the accuracy of newly the Association had recently begun. The emerging instrumental methods would pro- Association was trying to solve the problem duce even greater need for certified reference of rail car derailments due to the fracturing materials to serve, first as accuracy bench- of cast iron wheels. Appropriate alloys had marks, and then as calibrators for quality assur- been found and Association research showed ance into the future. that they would cure the problem. However, the chemical laboratories at the various The Bureau accepted the challenge and set to foundries that supplied materials to the rail- work - but not alone. In fact, this very first roads could not analyze the materials with reference material project set a precedent for sufficiently consistent accuracy to provide cooperative efforts that continue to this day. ongoing quality assurance. The problem as Included in that precedent is the idea that the foundrymen defined it was to have a projects will be started only on

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