The paper reports work on the synthesis, purification and certification of pure substance (organic) reference materials as conducted within the National Analytical Reference Laboratory (NARL). Areas of interest include illicit drugs, agricultural and veterinary chemicals, and steroids and steroid metabolites and their deuterates. The discussion covers the prioritization of work requirements, procedures for synthesis and production, quality assurance, characterization, homogeneity, storage and stability testing, and certification of materials. Future plans for establishing traceability are also discussed.