Realization of an Innovative Metrological Traceability Using the Quantitative NMR Method

Reference materials are indispensable for accurate analysis of hazardous substances in food and environment.
For organic substances, however, the dissemination of reference materials is hopelessly unable to catch up
with today’s rapidly proliferating analytical needs. To solve this problem, analytical techniques were improved to develop a method in which a single primary reference material could provide accurate quantitative measurements for a wide variety of organic compounds. In this approach, we turned our attention to the 1H NMR method. We improved the method to perform precise comparisons of signal quantities from protons at different chemical shifts, enabling quantitative analysis at an acceptable level of uncertainty for a variety of organic reference materials by using a primary reference material for protons. Based on this achievement, an innovative metrological traceability capable of minimizing the number of national reference materials was realized, thus enabling us to have a
prospect for rapid expansion of reference materials used in food and environmental analyses.