The CCQM-K88 key comparison was organized by the Inorganic Analysis Working Group of CCQM to test the abilities of the national metrology institutes to measure the mass fraction of lead in lead-free solder containing silver and copper. National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ), National Institute of Metrology of China (NIM) and Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) acted as the coordinating laboratories. The participants used different measurement methods, though most of them used inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) or isotope-dilution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ID-ICP-MS). Accounting for relative expanded uncertainty, comparability of measurement results was successfully demonstrated by the participating NMIs for the measurement of the mass fraction of lead in lead-free solder at the level of 200 mg/kg.
It is expected that metals at mass fractions greater than approximately 100 mg/kg in lead-free solder containing silver and copper can be determined by each participant using the same technique(s) employed for this key comparison to achieve similar uncertainties mentioned in the present report.
The key comparison CCQM-K33 was organized by the Inorganic Analysis Working Group of the CCQM to test the abilities of the national metrology institutes to measure the mass fractions of minor elements in steel. Elements to be analysed were Cr, Mn, Ni and Mo in low alloy steel. The National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) acted as the coordinating laboratories. The participants used various measurement methods, though many of them used ICP-AES. Generally speaking, the agreement of the results was very good for each measurand.