CERTIFICATION REPORT The certification of trace elements mass fraction in electrolytic copper: ERM®-EB074A, B and C

This report describes the production of ERM®-EB074A, B and C, a pure copper material with low level of added impurities certified for the mass fraction of Ag, Al, As, Au, Be, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Fe, In, Mg, Mn, Ni, P, Pb, S, Sb, Se, Si, Sn, Te, Ti, Zn and Zr. The material was produced following ISO Guide 34:2009 [ ]. Pure copper was melted with pure metal and alloy to obtain a pure copper material with added impurities. After casting, the material was processed by hot extrusion and cold machining to produce discs of 39 mm diameter (ERM-EB074A), cylinders of 8 mm diameter (ERM-EB074B) and chips of 250 mg (ERM-EB074C). Between unit-homogeneity was quantified and stability during dispatch and storage were assessed in accordance with ISO Guide 35:2006 [ ]. Within-unit homogeneity was quantified to determine the minimum sample intake. The material was characterised by an intercomparison among laboratories of demonstrated competence and adhering to ISO/IEC 17025 [ ]. Technically invalid results were removed but no outlier was eliminated on statistical grounds only. Uncertainties of the certified values were calculated in compliance with the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) [ ] and include uncertainties related to possible inhomogeneity, and instability and to characterisation. The material is intended for the quality control and assessment of method performance. As any reference material, it can also be used for control charts or validation studies. The certified reference material (CRM) is available in three different formats: - ERM-EB074A: disc of 39 mm diameter; 30 mm thick; packed in box - ERM-EB074B: cylinder of 8 mm diameter; 100 mm length; sealed in plastic sachet under vacuum - ERM-EB074C: bottle of 50 grams of chips; chip weight 250 mg The minimum sample intake of ERM-EB074A and B is suitable for GD-MS and spark-OES techniques. For ERM-EB074C, the minimum amount of sample to be used is 20 mg for As, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn, Te; 100 mg for Ag, Al, Be, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Hg, In, Mg, Mn, Ti, W, Zn, Zr; 200 mg for Au, Fe; 300 mg for S and 500 mg for Si. The CRM was accepted as European Reference Material (ERM®) after peer evaluation by the partners of the European Reference Materials consortium.JRC.D.2-Standards for Innovation and sustainable Developmen

Re-estimation of argon isotope ratios leading to a revised estimate of the Boltzmann constant

In 2013, NPL, SUERC and Cranfield University published an estimate for the Boltzmann constant [1] based on a measurement of the limiting low-pressure speed of sound in argon gas. Subsequently, an extensive investigation by Yang et al [2] revealed that there was likely to have been an error in the estimate of the molar mass of the argon used in the experiment. Responding to [2], de Podesta et al revised their estimate of the molar mass [3]. The shift in the estimated molar mass, and of the estimate of kB, was large: -2.7 parts in 106, nearly four times the original uncertainty estimate. The work described here was undertaken to understand the cause of this shift and our conclusion is that the original samples were probably contaminated with argon from atmospheric air.
 In this work we have repeated the measurement reported in [1] on the same gas sample that was examined in [2, 3]. However in this work we have used a different technique for sampling the gas that has allowed us to eliminate the possibility of contamination of the argon samples. We have repeated the sampling procedure three times, and examined samples on two mass spectrometers. This procedure confirms the isotopic ratio estimates of Yang et al [2] but with lower uncertainty, particularly in the relative abundance ratio R38:36.
 Our new estimate of the molar mass of the argon used in Isotherm 5 in [1] is 39.947 727(15) g mol-1 which differs by +0.50 parts in 106 from the estimate 39.947 707(28) g mol-1 made in [3]. This new estimate of the molar mass leads to a revised estimate of the Boltzmann constant of kB = 1.380 648 60 (97) × 10−23 J K−1 which differs from the 2014 CODATA value by +0.05 parts in 106.&#13

Certification report - The certification of the gold mass fraction in Al-0.1%Au alloy: ERM®-EB530A, B and C

This report describes the production of ERM®-EB530A, B and C, aluminium gold alloy material certified for the mass fraction of gold. The material was produced following ISO Guide 34:2009. Pure aluminium and pure gold were arc melted together to obtain a master alloy Al-5%Au (mass percent). The master alloy was melted with pure aluminium in a resistance furnace, casted in ingot and heat treated. The ingot was processed mechanically (wire drawing or rolling) to obtain thin wire (diameter 0.5 mm and 1.0 mm) and thin foil (thickness 0.1 mm). Between-unit homogeneity was quantified and stability during dispatch and storage were assessed in accordance with ISO Guide 35:2006. Within-unit homogeneity was quantified to determine the minimum sample intake. The material was characterised by an intercomparison among laboratories of demonstrated competence and adhering to ISO/IEC 17025. Technically invalid results were removed but no outlier was eliminated on statistical grounds only. Uncertainties of the certified values were estimated in compliance with the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) and include uncertainties related to possible inhomogeneity, and instability and to characterisation. The material is intended for the calibration of methods (k0-neutron activation analysis). As any reference material, it can also be used for control charts or validation studies. The CRM is packed in plastic boxes and available in three different versions: ERM-EB530A: foil of 50 cm2, thickness: 0.100 mm; ERM-EB530B: 1 meter of wire diameter 0.500 mm; ERM-EB530C: 1 meter of wire diameter 1.000 mm. The minimum amount of sample to be used is 0.55 mg. The CRM was accepted as European Reference Material (ERM®) after peer evaluation by the partners of the European Reference Materials consortium.JRC.D.2-Standards for Innovation and sustainable Developmen

Certification of the mass concentration of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, mercury, lead, nickel and selenium in wastewater: ERM®-CA713

The report describes the production and certification of the certified reference material ERM-CA713 Wastewater. The material was produced to replace the existing materials BCR-713, BCR-714 and BCR-715 because of changes in the legislation, in particular the requirement for the monitoring of Hg as a priority substance. The material is certified for As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb and Se. and will serve as a quality control tool for the laboratories involved in the mandatory monitoring of the Priority Substances prescribed under the Water Framework Directive (WFD, 2000/60/EC).JRC.D.2-Standards for Innovation and sustainable Developmen

CERTIFICATION REPORT: The certification of the mass fraction of elements in titanium: ERM-EB090a and ERM-EB090b

This report describes the production of ERM-EB090a and ERM-EB090b, two titanium reference materials certified for the mass fraction of elements. These materials were produced following ISO Guide 34:2009 and are certified in accordance with ISO Guide 35:2017. Pure titanium was alloyed with the target elements to produce ingots that were subjected to vacuum arc re-melting. A powder was produced by the plasma rotating electrode (PREP) process, which was then turned into solid bars by hot-isostatic pressing. One part of the bars was cut into discs of a thickness of 2 cm (ERM-EB090a), the other part was cut into slices of 2 mm and chips of approximately 250 mg were punched out of these discs (ERM-EB090b). Between unit-homogeneity was quantified and stability during dispatch and storage were assessed in accordance with ISO Guide 35:2017. The minimum sample intake was estimated on the basis of acceptable repeatability for results obtained by glow-discharge-mass spectrometry (GDMS) and spark-optical-emission spectrometry (spark-OES). The material was characterised by an interlaboratory comparison of laboratories of demonstrated competence and adhering to ISO/IEC 17025:2017. Technically invalid results were removed but no outlier was eliminated on statistical grounds only. Uncertainties of the certified values were calculated in accordance with the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) and include uncertainties related to possible inhomogeneity, instability and characterisation. The materials are intended for the calibration of methods, quality control and assessment of method performance. As with any reference material, they can be used for establishing control charts or in validation studies. The CRMs are available in discs (ERM-EB090a: diameter 40 mm; height 20 mm) and 7 g of metal chips contained in glass vials (ERM-EB090b). The minimum amount of sample to be used is 50 mg.JRC.F.6 - Reference Material

Regulação de Emoções Positivas e a Compreensão Emocional em Crianças de 3 a 6 anos

Esta investigação teve como objetivo estudar a relação entre as estratégias de regulação emocional positiva, emocionalidade positiva e negativa e a compreensão emocional das crianças.N/

The certification of the mass fraction of carbon in cementite grains in a Fe-C matrix: IRMM-471

The report describes the production and certification of IRMM-471, a reference material certified for the carbon mass fraction of its cementite (Fe3C) grains. The Fe3C grains are dispersed within an iron pearlite matrix and present an average grain diameter between 20 µm and 50 μm. IRMM-471 has been produced and certified in order to be used as calibrant in electron probe micro-analyser (EPMA) for carbon determination in iron and steel products.JRC.D.2-Standards for Innovation and sustainable Developmen

Review of sampling and analysis of particulate matter in hydrogen fuel

This review presents state-of-the-art for representative sampling of hydrogen from hydrogen refueling stations. Documented sampling strategies are presented as well as examples of commercially available equipment for sampling at the hydrogen refueling nozzle. Filter media used for sampling is listed and the performance of some of the filters evaluated. It was found that the filtration efficiency of 0.2 and 5 μm filters were not significantly different when exposed to 200 and 300 nm particles. Several procedures for gravimetric analysis are presented and some of the challenges are identified to be filter degradation, pinhole formation and conditioning of the filter prior to measurement. Lack of standardization of procedures was identified as a limitation for result comparison. Finally, the review summarizes results including particulate concentration in hydrogen fuel quality data published. It was found that less than 10% of the samples were in violation with the tolerance limit.publishedVersio

CERTIFICATION REPORT: The certification of trace elements mass fraction in electrolytic copper with added impurities: ERM®-EB075A, B and C

This report describes the production of ERM®-EB075A, B and C, a pure coppermaterial with added impurities certified for the mass fraction of Ag, Al, As, Au, Be, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Fe, In, Mg, Mn, Ni, P, Pb, S, Sb, Se, Si, Sn, Te, Ti, Zn and Zr. The material was produced following ISO Guide 34:2009 [ ]. Pure copper was melted with pure metal and alloy to obtain a pure copper material with added impurities. After casting, the material was processed by hot extrusion and cold machining to produce discs of 39 mm diameter (ERM-EB075A), cylinders of 8 mm diameter (ERM-EB075B) and chips of 250 mg (ERM-EB075C). Between unit-homogeneity was quantified and stability during dispatch and storage were assessed in accordance with ISO Guide 35:2006 [ ]. Within-unit homogeneity was quantified to determine the minimum sample intake. The material was characterised by an intercomparison among laboratories of demonstrated competence and adhering to ISO/IEC 17025 [ ]. Technically invalid results were removed but no outlier was eliminated on statistical grounds only. Uncertainties of the certified values were calculated in compliance with the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) [ ] and include uncertainties related to possible inhomogeneity, and instability and to characterisation. The material is intended for the quality control and assessment of method performance. As any reference material, it can also be used for control charts or validation studies. The certified reference material (CRM) is available in three different formats: - ERM-EB075A: disc of 39 mm diameter; 30 mm thick; packed in box - ERM-EB075B: cylinder of 8 mm diameter; 100 mm length; sealed in plastic sachet under vacuum - ERM-EB075C: bottle of 50 g of chips; chip weight 250 mg The minimum sample intake of ERM-EB075A and B is suitable for GD-MS and spark-OES techniques. For ERM-EB075C, the minimum amount of sample to be used is 20 mg for As, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn, Te; 100 mg for Ag, Al, Be, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Hg, In, Mg, Mn, Sb, Se, Ti, W, Zr; 200 mg for Au, Be, Bi, Fe, Zn; 300 mg for sulphur and 500 mg for Si. The CRM was accepted as European Reference Material (ERM®) after peer evaluation by the partners of the European Reference Materials consortium.JRC.D.2-Standards for Innovation and sustainable Developmen

Assessment of hydrogen quality dispensed for hydrogen refuelling stations in Europe

The fuel quality of hydrogen dispensed from 10 refuelling stations in Europe was assessed. Representative sampling was conducted from the nozzle by use of a sampling adapter allowing to bleed sample gas in parallel while refuelling an FCEV. Samples were split off and distributed to four laboratories for analysis in accordance with ISO 14687 and SAE J2719. The results indicated some inconsistencies between the laboratories but were still conclusive. The fuel quality was generally good. Elevated nitrogen concentrations were detected in two samples but not in violation with the new 300 μmol/mol tolerance limit. Four samples showed water concentrations higher than the 5 μmol/mol tolerance limit estimated by at least one laboratory. The results were ambiguous: none of the four samples showed all laboratories in agreement with the violation. One laboratory reported an elevated oxygen concentration that was not corroborated by the other two laboratories and thus considered an outlier.publishedVersio