Glossary of Laboratory Terms

Short definitions of the terms you will meet on certificates, labels and technical documents.

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Terms

COA (Certificate of Analysis): The laboratory record of identity, purity and other test results for one specific lot.
Lot / batch number: The identifier that ties a container of material to its production run and its COA.
HPLC: High-performance liquid chromatography; separates a sample's components to measure purity.
Mass spectrometry (MS): Measures molecular mass to confirm a compound's identity.
Purity (area %): The share of detected signal belonging to the target compound under a given HPLC method.
Net peptide content: The share of a material's total weight that is peptide, excluding water, salts and counter-ions.
Lyophilized: Freeze-dried: water removed under vacuum at low temperature to give a stable solid.
Counter-ion: An ion (such as acetate or trifluoroacetate) paired with a peptide in its salt form.
Endotoxin: A bacterial cell-wall component measured by the LAL test where relevant to the research.
ISO/IEC 17025: The international standard for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories.
SDS (Safety Data Sheet): The document describing a material's hazards, safe handling, storage and disposal.
RUO (Research Use Only): Supplied for laboratory research only; not for human or veterinary use or diagnostic procedures.
Chain of custody: The documented record of who held a material, and when, from production to use.

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