Uncertainty of nitrogen determination by the Kjeldahl method

 The uncertainty of the Kjeldahl method for determination of nitrogen in insulin was evaluated according the procedure described in the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement. The relative standard uncertainty of the method was found to be 0.19%, compared to the relative intermediate precision experimentally found to be 0.085%. The uncertainty components were organized in Tables, which allowed an easy overview and evaluation. The largest contribution to the uncertainty came from volumetric equipment. Systematic uncertainty budgets such as the design presented here facilitate the uncertainty evaluation process and makes it easier to compare uncertainty evaluations performed by different analysts. Received: 5 April 1999 / Accepted: 31 August 1999     

Comparison of different approaches to estimate the uncertainty of a liquid chromatographic assay

A measurement result cannot be properly interpreted without knowledge about its uncertainty. Several concepts to estimate the uncertainty of a measurement result have been developed. Here, four different approaches for uncertainty estimation are compared on the example of the RP-high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay for tylosin for veterinary use: the guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement (GUM) approach, which derives the uncertainty of a measurement result by combining the uncertainties related to the uncertainty sources of the measurement process; the top-down approach, which uses the reproducibility estimate from an inter-laboratory study as uncertainty estimate; an approach recently presented by Barwick and Ellison, which combines precision, trueness and robustness data to obtain an uncertainty estimate of the measurement result and finally a further approach, which directly estimates the measurement uncertainty from a robustness test. The comparison shows that the different approaches lead to comparable uncertainty estimates.     

Introducing the concept of uncertainty of measurement in testing in association with the application of the standard ISO/IEC 17025

ISO/IEC 17025 requests laboratories to estimate the overall uncertainty associated with a test result. In many cases this means a new requirement to laboratories. It is essential to understand the importance of the knowledge of the uncertainty of measurements as well as the principle that not always the smallest possible uncertainty is needed, but fitness for purpose has to be achieved. The paper suggests a policy on the implementation of the concept of uncertainty and guidance on how to proceed, taking into account the present state of the art of understanding the problem.     

The uncertainty in the calculation of the amount of blocked and reactive lysine in milk products,as determined by the furosine method

The measurement uncertainty in the calculation of the amount of blocked and reactive lysine (as determined by the furosine method) was evaluated according to the procedure described in the Eurachem/CITAC guide. The analytical method involves the chromatographic determination of lysine and furosine after acid hydrolysis. The calculation of blocked and reactive lysine in the initial protein is based on known conversion factors. The estimation of the uncertainty was performed in two steps: (1) determination of the uncertainty in the chromatographic determination of lysine and furosine, and (2) determination of the uncertainty in the calculation of blocked and reactive lysine. The individual contributions to the final uncertainty were identified, quantified, and combined in uncertainty budgets. The largest contribution to the calculation of blocked lysine came from estimating the conversion factor of blocked lysine into furosine during acid hydrolysis. For the calculation of reactive lysine, the main contribution came from the chromatographic determination of lysine. The uncertainty estimates were compared to available validation data (in-house and collaborative standard deviations of reproducibility).     

Software support for the Nordtest method of measurement uncertainty evaluation

Software support for the Nordtest method of measurement uncertainty evaluation is described. According to the Nordtest approach, the combined measurement uncertainty is broken down into two main components??the within-laboratory reproducibility (intermediate precision) s _Rw and the uncertainty due to possible laboratory bias u(bias). Both of these can be conveniently estimated from validation and quality control data, thus significantly reducing the need for performing dedicated experiments for estimating detailed uncertainty contributions and thereby making uncertainty estimation easier for routine laboratories. An additional merit of this uncertainty estimation approach is that it reduces the danger of underestimating the uncertainty, which continues to be a problem at routine laboratories. The described software tool??MUkit (measurement uncertainty kit)??fully reflects the versatility of the Nordtest approach: it enables estimating the uncertainty components from different types of data, and the data can be imported using a variety of means such as different laboratory data systems and a dedicated web service as well as manual input. Prior to the development of the MUkit software, a laboratory survey was carried out to identify the needs of laboratories related to uncertainty estimation and other quality assurance procedures, as well as their needs for a practical tool for the calculation of measurement uncertainty.     

稀土掺杂尖晶石型锂铁氧体化学成分标准物质定值不确定度评定

按照JJF 1059–1999《测量不确定度评定和表示》的规定,对隐身吸收剂稀土掺杂尖晶石型锂铁氧体化学成分标准物质中Fe,Li,Nd,Dy 4种元素定值的不确定度进行了评定。通过对化学法、原子吸收光谱法、电感耦合等离子体光谱法及电感耦合等离子体质谱法等实验过程的分析,确定了引入不确定度的因素,采用A类和B类不确定度评定方法对各不确定度分量进行了评定,最终得出扩展不确定度。     

Validation of the uncertainty evaluation for the determination of metals in solid samples by atomic spectrometry

 Every analytical result should be expressed with some indication of its quality. The uncertainty as defined by Eurachem ("parameter associated with the result of a measurement that characterises the dispersion of the values that could reasonably be attributed to the, . . ., quantity subjected to measurement") is a good tool to accomplish this goal in quantitative analysis. Eurachem has produced a guide to the estimation of the uncertainty attached to an analytical result. Indeed, the estimation of the total uncertainty by using uncertainty propagation laws is components-dependent. The estimation of some of those components is based on subjective criteria. The identification of the uncertainty sources and of their importance, for the same method, can vary from analyst to analyst. It is important to develop tools which will support each choice and approximation. In this work, the comparison of an estimated uncertainty with an experimentally assessed one, through a variance test, is performed. This approach is applied to the determination by atomic absorption of manganese in digested samples of lettuce leaves. The total uncertainty estimation is calculated assuming 100% digestion efficiency with negligible uncertainty. This assumption was tested. Received: 3 November 1997 · Accepted: 2 January 1998     

Determination of measurement uncertainty for the determination of triazines in groundwater from validation data

Laboratories are increasingly urged to submit full uncertainties of their analytical results rather than only standard deviations. The determination of measurement uncertainties in compliance with the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) is demonstrated using the validation approach explicitly endorsed by the recent edition of the EURACHEM guide for the determination of measurement uncertainty. Measurement uncertainty was split into uncertainty of the sample mass, uncertainty of the concentration of the stock standard solution, uncertainty of the calibration and uncertainty connected to within- and between-series precision. Uncertainties of sample mass and of the concentration of the stock standard solution were 0.26 and 1.14% for all analytes, which is negligible compared with the contributions of precision and calibration. Uncertainty of calibration was estimated from the calibration graph. Relative uncertainty of calibration was found to be strongly concentration dependent and to be the main uncertainty contribution below 0.2 microgram L-1. Precision was split into within-series and between-series standard deviation, which dominate the combined standard uncertainty at higher concentrations. The results obtained from these calculations are compared with results for a certified reference material and with the performance in an interlaboratory comparison. It was found that all results agreed within their uncertainty with the target values, showing that the estimated uncertainties are realistic.     

Estimating the uncertainty of stability for matrix CRMs.

The new version of ISO Guide 34 requires producers of certified reference materials (CRMs) to include contributions of possible instability to the overall CRM uncertainty, to obtain a value for the uncertainty in compliance with the Guide to the Expression of the Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM). A pragmatic approach to estimating the uncertainty of stability is presented. It relies on regression analysis of stability data with subsequent testing of the slope of the regression line for significance. If the slope is found to be statistically insignificant, a shelf life is chosen and the uncertainty connected with this time is estimated via the standard deviation of the slope. This uncertainty is included in the overall uncertainty of the CRM. This approach is explained with examples showing its applicability to matrix CRMs.     

分光光度法测定室内空气中甲醛含量不确定度评定

对室内空气中甲醛含量分析测试过程的误差进行了辨别.在此基础上评定了分析结果的不确定度.不确定度主要来源于样品采集、样品处理、标准溶液、标准曲线制作以及其它仪器的使用.依据不确定度评定的步骤,分析和计算得到了各分量不确定度和合成不确定度.     

Estimating the uncertainty of stability for matrix CRMs

The new version of ISO Guide 34 requires producers of certified reference materials (CRMs) to include contributions of possible instability to the overall CRM uncertainty, to obtain a value for the uncertainty in compliance with the Guide to the Expression of the Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM). A pragmatic approach to estimating the uncertainty of stability is presented. It relies on regression analysis of stability data with subsequent testing of the slope of the regression line for significance. If the slope is found to be statistically insignificant, a shelf life is chosen and the uncertainty connected with this time is estimated via the standard deviation of the slope. This uncertainty is included in the overall uncertainty of the CRM. This approach is explained with examples showing its applicability to matrix CRMs. Received: 12 October 2000 / Revised: 2 January 2001 / Accepted: 3 January 2001     

Effect of non-significant proportional bias in the final measurement uncertainty

The trueness of an analytical method can be assessed by calculating the proportional bias of the method in terms of apparent recovery. If the apparent recovery does not differ significantly from one, the analytical method has not a significant bias. If this is the case, the bias is neglected and the uncertainty associated with this bias is included in the uncertainty budget of results. However, when assessing trueness there is always a probability of incorrectly concluding that the proportional bias is not significant. Therefore, the uncertainty of results may be underestimated. In this paper, we study how non-significant bias affects the uncertainty of analytical results. Moreover, we study how to avoid the underestimation of uncertainty by including the non-significant bias calculated in the uncertainty budget. To answer these questions, we have used the Monte-Carlo method to simulate the process of estimating the apparent recovery of a biased analytical method and, subsequently, the future results this method provides. The results of the simulation show that non-significant bias may underestimate the uncertainty of analytical results when bias contributes in more than 20% to the overall uncertainty. Uncertainty is specially underestimated when bias contributes in more than 50% to the overall uncertainty.     

分光光度法测定空气中甲醛不确定度评定

采用分光光度法测定空气中甲醛,对测定结果的不确定度进行评定。采用酚试剂分光光度法测定空气中甲醛,分析测定过程中的各项不确定度来源,包括样品采集、标准工作溶液配制、标准工作曲线拟合、测定仪器以及重复测定等引入的不确定度,计算合成不确定度,最后获得相对扩展不确定度。当空气中甲醛质量浓度为0.0244~0.2218 mg/m^3时,测定结果在95%置信区间时的相对扩展不确定度为0.1172(k=2)。不确定度主要来源于A类不确定度和系列标准工作溶液制备、标准工作曲线拟合、水中甲醛溶液标准物质的稀释引入的不确定度。     

Uncertainty profiles for the validation of analytical methods

This article aims to expose a new global strategy for the validation of analytical methods and the estimation of measurement uncertainty. Our purpose is to allow to researchers in the field of analytical chemistry get access to a powerful tool for the evaluation of quantitative analytical procedures. Indeed, the proposed strategy facilitates analytical validation by providing a decision tool based on the uncertainty profile and the β-content tolerance interval. Equally important, this approach allows a good estimate of measurement uncertainty by using data validation and without recourse to other additional experiments.In the example below, we confirmed the applicability of this new strategy for the validation of a chromatographic bioanalytical method and the good estimate of the measurement uncertainty without referring to any extra effort and additional experiments. A comparative study with the SFSTP approach [1] showed that both strategies have selected the same calibration functions.The holistic character of the measurement uncertainty compared to the total error was influenced by our choice of profile uncertainty. Nevertheless, we think that the adoption of the uncertainty in the validation stage controls the risk of using the analytical method in routine phase.     

Evaluation of the Uncertainty Associated to the Determination of Heavy Metals in Seawater Using Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

Abstract

This work describes the estimation of uncertainty following the “bottom‐up” and the “top‐down” approaches for the determination of several trace metals in seawater when using a classical 1‐pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate/diethyldithiocarbamate/freon extraction method followed by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. A detailed analysis of the uncertainty sources of this method is included, which allows estimating the expanded uncertainties. The results show that the main contribution to the relative overall uncertainty is the extraction step. The estimation of the uncertainty components is shown to be a suitable tool for the experimental design in order to obtain a small uncertainty in the analytical result.     

Consideration of the uncertainty in the CRM value with the analysis of solid materials using atomic spectrometry

 The principles of the ISO "Guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement" are applied to the analysis of solid materials by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Assessment of trueness is achieved by the analysis of a certified reference material (CRM) under fixed instrumental conditions. For the evaluation of the method's uncertainty (as part of the validation) a model equation is derived, considering all significant contributions, including the uncertainty in the CRM value and the uncertainty in the CRM analysis. A concrete example is presented and discussed (soya flour as an unknown sample and CRM BCR rye grass). For routine analysis a pooled estimate from the validation experiment can be used, leading to an acceptable small uncertainty range even in the case of "duplicate determination". The test for trueness (acceptance) of the result of the CRM analysis is applied and the correction for detected bias is discussed. Received: 28 June 1998 · Accepted: 13 July 1998     

A new terminology for the approaches to the quantification of the measurement uncertainty

A new terminology for the approaches to the quantification of the measurement uncertainty is presented, with a view to a better understanding of the available methodologies for the estimation of the measurement quality and differences among them. The knowledge of the merits, disadvantages and differences in the estimation process, of the available approaches, is essential for the production of metrologically correct and fit-to-purpose uncertainty estimations. The presented terminology is based on the level of the analytical information used to estimate the measurement uncertainty (e.g., supralaboratory or intralaboratory information), instead of the direction of information flow (“bottom-up” or “top-down”) towards the level of information where the test is performed, avoiding the use of the same designation for significantly different approaches. The proposed terminology is applied to the approaches considered on 19 examples of the quantification of the measurement uncertainty presented at the Eurachem/CITAC CG4 Guide, Eurolab Technical Report 1/2002 and Nordtest Technical Report 537. Additionally, differences of magnitude in the measurement uncertainty estimated by various approaches are discussed.     

Is the estimation of measurement uncertainty a viable alternative to validation?

Two examples of the use of measurement uncertainty in a development environment are presented and compared to the use of validation. It is concluded that measurement uncertainty is a good alternative to validation for chemical processes in the development stage. Some advantages of measurement uncertainty are described. The major advantages are that the estimations of measurement uncertainty are very efficient, and can be performed before analysis of the samples. The results of measurement uncertainty influence the type of analysis employed in the development process, and the measurement design can be adjusted to the need of the process.     

电感耦合等离子体质谱法测定镍基高温合金中磷含量的不确定度评定

采用电感耦合等离子体质谱(ICP-MS)法测定镍基高温合金中磷杂质含量,对该测定方法的不确定度进行评定。建立了不确定度评定的数学模型,对不确定度的来源进行了全面分析,通过计算得到扩展不确定度。采用ICP-MS法测定YSBC 41503-2012标准物质中的磷含量,测定值为0.0035%,测定结果与证书参考值一致。按照建立的不确定度评定方法得扩展不确定度为0.0002%(k=2)。该方法适用于ICP-MS法测定高温合金中磷含量的不确定度评定。     

Uncertainty of standard addition experiments: a novel approach to include the uncertainty associated with the standard in the model equation

A new model equation for determining the measurement result in standard addition experiments was derived and successfully applied to the quantitative determination of rhodium in automotive catalysts. Existing equations for standard addition experiments with gravimetric preparation were changed in order to integrate the novel idea of including the uncertainty associated with the standard into the model equation. Using this novel equation combined with the ordinary least squares algorithm for the regression line also yielded a new formula for the associated measurement uncertainty. This uncertainty accounts for the first time for the uncertainty associated with the standard. The derivation for the model equation and the resulting associated measurement uncertainty is shown for gravimetric standard addition experiments both with and without an internal standard.