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Projects/Programs

Displaying 1 - 24 of 24

Characterized Authentic Drug Samples (CADS)

Ongoing
Project Overview The CADS project aims to provide academic researchers, forensic practitioners, and industry with curated and characterized panels of authentic seized drug samples for research, development, validation, and implementation purposes. In addition to making authentic samples available

Chemical Foundations for a Cannabis Breathalyzer

Ongoing
NIST's initial work in cannabis science was a series of measurements of the vapor pressure of two important cannabinoids: delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Our current effort is funded in part by interagency agreements with the ational Institute of Justice and by the NIST

Drug Analysis - Opioids and Emerging Threats

Ongoing
Package Interdiction Many synthetic opioids and novel psychoactive substances enter the country through international mail. Research in this area focuses on measurement challenges associated with detection and analysis of these packages at the point of seizure in international mail facilities

Explosives Decomposition Chemistry

Completed
Intended Impact Computational modeling and simulation will help in the invention of new explosives, the design of compounded mixtures of existing materials, and the engineering of delivered systems such as military ordnance. Objective Detailed chemistry is a necessary part of computational

Fingerprint Chemistry

Ongoing
Verification Test Materials (VTMs) for Fingerprint Developing Reagents The forensic community has no quantifiable QA/QC method for determining the efficacy of fingerprint developing reagents prior to use in casework. Reagents can be exposed to environmental conditions in the field that can expedite

Fire Debris and Explosives

Ongoing
Fire Debris Fire debris analysis involves the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data of debris collected from fire scenes. Samples are typically analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry which results in a complicated chromatogram that must be interpreted. Projects in this area are

Fluid Phase Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy

Ongoing
In-situ vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE). We are applying vapor-phase NMR to measure VLE in-situ. We are currently applying this methodology to industrially important systems such as refrigerants and natural gas. The most widely used refrigerants have high global warming potential. Drop-in

Forensic Chemistry

Ongoing
Drug Analysis - Opioids and Emerging Threats This program primarily seeks to support the needs of the > 400 publicly funded state, local, and tribal forensic laboratories in the United States. The increased complexity of the analysis needed to keep pace with these emerging threats has resulted in

Illicit Narcotics Detection

Ongoing
“Method for evaluating ion mobility spectrometers for trace detection of fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances”, Jennifer R Verkouteren, Jeffrey Lawrence, R Michael Verkouteren and Edward Sisco, Analytical Methods, 11(47), 6043-6052 (2019). “Discriminative potential of ion mobility spectrometry

Ion Mobility Spectrometry

Ongoing
IMS employs a drift tube with an applied electric field to separate ionized molecules based on their mobility. The technique is robust and capable of differentiating a wide range of drug and explosive molecules. Recent work has sought to investigate the utility of IMS for screening of illicit

Metrology and Standards for Canine Olfactory Detection of Explosives

Effective and accepted by the public, trained dogs are the most frequently deployed detection systems for identification of explosives threats in mobile applications. In addition to being highly sensitive, dogs can rapidly discriminate the unique profile of an explosive in a presence of a large

Nanoplasmonics and Three-Dimensional Plasmonic Metamaterials

Ongoing
Plasmonic materials are composed of metals and insulators that are ordered in geometric arrangements with dimensions that are fractions of the wavelength of light. Research groups are experimenting with a variety of geometric approaches, but all aim to exploit surface plasmons, which are light

NIST PS1 Primary Standard for quantitative NMR (Benzoic Acid)

Completed
With explicit SI linkage, the overall impact of this apical reference material is profound—this primary standard, as well as forthcoming members of its class, provides technology transfer of chemical purity realization to the commercial sector for characterization of many thousands of organic

NIST and the SWGDRUG Mass Spectral Reference Library of Seized Drugs

Ongoing
Synthetic drugs such as fentanyl and its analogues are driving an unprecedented epidemic of overdose deaths in the United States. Clandestine labs create these new substances in part to evade law enforcement. This places a major burden on federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to

NIST Tools for Cannabis Laboratory Quality Assurance

Ongoing
Since the 1970s, cannabis (marijuana and hemp) and its constituent, Δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, have been classified as Schedule I controlled substances. Seized evidence is tested by forensic laboratories, which verify the identity of the plant through macro- and microscopic evaluation and the

Novel Psychoactive Substance (NPS) Data Hub

Ongoing
A growing portion of forensic drug laboratory’s workload is the identification of novel psychoactive substances (NPSs), or emerging synthetic drugs (ESDs), presented as exhibit materials after seizure events. A pressing need exists for the rapid characterization of both the active ingredient(s) and

Open Port Liquid Interface Mass Spectrometry

Ongoing
Rapid screening for chemical traces of explosives and narcotics is widely used to support homeland security and law enforcement. These target compounds span a range of physicochemical properties from organic to inorganic, with preferential ionization pathways in both negative and positive mode

Opioid Detection and Identification

Ongoing
Safe Handling Fentanyl can be 100 times stronger than heroin. Even deadly street drugs contain very small amounts of fentanyl, so it can be difficult to detect with methods used for other common drugs. NIST researchers developed a method sensitive enough to detect fentanyl on the outside of

Standards to Support Biological Detection in the Field

Ongoing
NIST is working in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T) to develop methods, guidance, standards, and reference materials to support and improve our Nation's ability to detect and respond to suspected biothreat incidents. Specific

Thermal Desorption Ambient Mass Spectrometry

Ongoing
The Surface and Trace Chemical Analysis Group is involved in a number of research avenues for the rapid screening of wipe-collected samples for the security and forensic chemistry fields. Similar to the widely-deploy ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) systems for screening, this is accomplished through

Toxicology

Ongoing
Development of Low-Volume Drop Blood Drug Screening Tools This project aims to leverage recent NIST advances in ambient ionization mass spectrometry to develop platforms for low-volume blood drug screening. Direct Analysis in Real Time Mass Spectrometry (DART-MS) and Paper Spray Ionization Mass

Trace Contraband Detection

Ongoing
Screening of people and their belongings including luggage, vehicles, and packages for the presence of trace residues of explosives and narcotics (trace contraband detection) is widely used in aviation security and law enforcement. In common screening scenarios, trace contraband residues in the form