An Assessment of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Programs Fiscal Year 1994 (1994) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
4 Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory
4 Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory
Pages 67-98
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 67... ...
Chapter 4 Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory
|
From page 68... ...
O'Connell, this assessment of the fiscal year 1994 activities of the Chemical Science ant} Technology Laboratory is based on Gaithersburg, Maryland, and Boulder, Colorado, site visits, the pane} meeting on February I-2, 1994, and the 1993 annual report of the Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory.
|
From page 69... ...
Resources CSTE is divided into seven divisions: Biotechnology, Chemical Kinetics and Thermodynamics, Inorganic Analytical Research, Organic Analytical Research, Process Measurements, Surface and Microanalysis Science, and Thermophysics. These divisions each average just over 3 5 permanent professional staff and more than 25 visiting ant} temporary professional workers; the laboratory as a whole has more than 35 students.
|
From page 70... ...
Assessment of Strategy The pane} agrees that the mission and strategies of CSTE are appropriate in content and outlook. The goals are appropriately ambitious in light of CSTE's desire to lead the way in the areas of chemical and biochemical science and technology, which within NIST are disciplines unique to CSTL.
|
From page 71... ...
This process can have significant impact on productivity and attitudes in the face of the inevitable red tape resulting from NIST's growth. Finally, the pane} finds that more complete orientation and mentoring of new staffis desirable.
|
From page 72... ...
Chemical Kinetics and Thermodynamics Division. The division should strategically coordinate its comprehensive and important initiatives in computational chemistry.
|
From page 73... ...
Surface and Microanalysis Science Division. The division should take initiatives in semiconductor processing and nanostructure materials and scanning tunneling and atomic force microscopies.
|
From page 74... ...
Strategy The Biotechnology Division's current strategy is to distribute its tasks across four groups: the Biochemical Measurements Group, the Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology (CARB, a joint project with the University of Maryland and Montgomery County, Maryland) , the Biophysical Measurements Group, and the Biosensor Technology Group.
|
From page 75... ...
The Consortium on Advanced Biosensors has achieved a critical mass of participating companies ant]
|
From page 76... ...
The proposed fiscal year 1996 health care technology initiative must inclucle a strong biotechnology component, since biotechnology-based methods and techniques are critical to improving the quality and decreasing the costs of health care. Several other CSTE programs have a heavy biotechnology component, particularly the Organic Analytical Research Division.
|
From page 77... ...
Chemical Kinetics and Thermodynamics Division The Chemical Kinetics and Thermodynamics Division provides standardized data to industry, government, and academia in the areas of energy, environment, microelectronics fabrication, advanced materials, and chemical process technology via measurement anti tabulation leading principally to modern, computerized databases of important physical and chemical properties.
|
From page 78... ...
New theory and tabulation efforts being undertaken include estimation schemes for organic compounds of interest in microelectronics processing, ah initio calculations of properties, evaluation and tabulation of data for large numbers of industrially important organic substances, and enhanced microcomputer accessibility of the division's databases. Resources The Chemical Kinetics and Thermodynamics Division's total fiscal year ~ 993 budget was $4.6 million, of which $3.0 million was from SIRS, $!
|
From page 79... ...
The group has recently produced a variety of useii~1 results and products, including calorimetric data on metals for microelectronics systems, an aqueous electrolyte database in conjunction with the Design Institute for Physical Properties Research of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and several important SRMs. The Experimental Chemical Kinetics Group concentrates on topics directly relevant to industry in environmental science and technology, energy, and chemical processing.
|
From page 80... ...
The recently initiated structure and properties database and estimation computer program, with its easy-to-use structure-drawing module, will provide a convenient method to implement group additivity approaches to estimate thermodynamic properties. Recommendations The following are the panel's recommendations for the Chemical Kinetics and Thermodynamics Division.
|
From page 81... ...
certify SRMs for inorganic species in a range of matrix types. The instrumentation and analytical techniques used inclu(le inorganic mass spectrometry; atomic and molecular spectroscopy; laser excitation and absorption; nuclear activation; electrochemical techniques such as voltammetry, coulometry, potentiometry, and pH measurements; solution techniques such as titrimetry, gravimetry, gas evolution, and complexation; and various separation techniques such as ion exchange and solvent extraction.
|
From page 82... ...
The division generally has reasonably modern instrumentation, especially in the area of isotope dilution mass spectrometry, resonance ionization mass spectroscopy (RIMS) , and nuclear spectroscopy.
|
From page 83... ...
The Analytical Mass Spectrometry Group has developed high-accuracy, high-precision methods of elemental analyses using isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (TD-ICP-MS) and thermal ionization mass spectroscopy (TIMS)
|
From page 84... ...
More inter- ant! intradivisional collaborative work must be developed to avoid cluplication, such as the ICP-MS research being performed by both the Analytical Mass Spectrometry Group and the Atomic and Molecular Spectroscopy Group.
|
From page 85... ...
Separation Science. Thrust areas are new, rapid, and automatable approaches to organic analytical measurement; research, preparation, and measurement of primary gas stan~lards; development of definitive measurement methods for clinically significant analyses in serum; application of mass spectroscopy to structural determinations of biomolecules and trace organic analyses of complex mixtures; and unified research into the physical and chemical processes that influence chromatographic separations and their use in separating, detecting, and quantifying individual · · ~ organic species In comp ex matrices.
|
From page 86... ...
Its use of the partial oxidation of methanol to act as a stanciard for formalclehyde is illustrative of excellent innovation that should be extended to standards for other unstable compounds. The Organic Mass Spectrometry Group focuses on the development of definitive methods of detection for clinically significant analyses in serum, the use of successive mass spectrometers for quantitative analyses, the application of mass spectroscopy for structure determinations of biomolecules, and the development of methods for trace organic analyses of complex matrices.
|
From page 87... ...
It is a tribute to the expertise of the Organic Mass Spectrometry Group that this instrument has remained operational for as long as it has. Process Measurements Division The mission of the Process Measurements Division is to provide new techniques and knowledge in the detection of fluid flow rates and characteristics and in the measurement and modeling of chemical reactors, especially at high temperatures, and novel sensors for chemical composition ant]
|
From page 88... ...
development laboratory. Assessment of Technical Programs The accomplishments of the Process Measurements Division are impressive, and its important international benchmarking work should be expanded.
|
From page 89... ...
Recommendations The following are the panel's recommendations for the Process Measurements Division. The Boulder facilities of the Process Measurements Division have fallen below critical mass in personnel and activities.
|
From page 90... ...
Surface and Microanalysis Science Division The mission of the Surface and Microanalysis Science Division is to perform leading-edge scientific research; develop data analysis procedures; design reference materials and standards; and develop measurement instrumentation in the areas of atmospheric chemistry, microanalysis, surface dynamical processes, and surface spectroscopies to aid the competitiveness of the chemical, energy, environment, health care, biotechnology, ant! semiconductor industries.
|
From page 91... ...
Resources -- I -- -= r -- J The Surface and Microanalysis Science Division's total fiscal year 1993 budget was $6.6 million, of which $3.5 million was from SIRS, $2.5 million from OA, and $0.6 million from other sources. The division has 35 permanent professionals, ~ 5 nonpermanent researchers, and ~ students.
|
From page 92... ...
The group continues to investigate the total quality measurement concept and the use of standard test data for quality and process optimization in industrial technology. It has valuable joint projects with scientists outside NIST, such as a collaboration with the Woods Hole Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Facility.
|
From page 93... ...
The following are the panel's recommendations for the Surface and Microanalysis Science The Surface and Microanalysis Science Division shouts! implement hiring policies that will bring in personnel with expertise matched to the missions of CSTE and NIST.
|
From page 94... ...
Strategy The Thermophysics Division has organized its activities into five groups: Process Separations, Properties of Fluids, Fluid Science, Pressure, and Vacuum. Thrust areas include supercritical fluid technologies; contaminants in natural gas; electrochemical catalysis and separations; measurement, correlation, tabulation, and database distribution of the properties of natural gas and its constituents, alternative refrigerants, corrosive substances, and pure and mixed fluids over wide ranges of temperature and pressures; acoustical and other novel techniques for high-precision thermophysical property measurement; and measurement and calibration techniques for total and partial pressures at elevated pressures and over the entire range of relevant vacuum conditions.
|
From page 95... ...
Current projects include electrochemical separation of trace metals with simultaneous oxidation of trace organics in waste streams, separation of polychIorinate~l biphenyls from natural gas condensates, use of membrane systems to remove hydrogen sulfide from natural gas, and use of alternative refrigerants in supercritical extraction to take advantage of their 95
|
From page 96... ...
Current projects of the Properties of Fluids Group include measurement and correlation of thermodynamic properties of ammonia-water mixtures relevant to power cycles, development of transient hot-wire techniques to measure the thermal conductivity of electrically conductive fluids, measurement of properties of alternative refrigerants, and continued development of data centers for properties of pure components and mixtures. All of these pro jects can have an important impact on chemical processing.
|
From page 97... ...
The division should seek links with university research groups and have graduate students spend extended periods (} year or more) at NIST carrying out research under joint supervision of their faculty advisor and a NIST scientist or engineer.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.