Diagram of an apparatus used to determine nitrogen in the presence of hydrogen. Several component parts of the apparatus are labelled, including a circulating device, combustion tube, and topler pump. The diagram itself is labelled "Fig. 1," indicating that it likely appeared in an unidentified publication. This apparatus was likely used at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory located in Washington, D.C.

The Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory (F.N.R.L.) was established at American University in 1919 under the directorship of Arthur B. Lamb. Initially part of the War Department, the F.N.R.L. was the successor to several wartime initiatives to develop a secure domestic supply of nitrate compounds necessary for the manufacture of explosives during World War I. With a staff of about 110 individuals, including 35 to 50 chemists, the F.N.R.L. focused on the manufacture, production, and development of products of atmospheric nitrogen, including munitions and fertilizers.