Term: reference material
https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.R05230

Definition:
A substance or mixture of substances, the composition of which is known within specified limits, and one or more of the properties of which is sufficiently well established to be used for the calibration of an apparatus, the assessment of a measuring method or for assigning values to materials. Reference materials are available from national laboratories in many countries [e.g. National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), USA.; Community Bureau of Reference, UK].

Source: PAC, 1990, 62, 2167. 'Glossary of atmospheric chemistry terms (Recommendations 1990)' on page 2210 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199062112167)

Citation: 'reference material' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.R05230

License: The IUPAC Gold Book is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) for individual terms.

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