On the lab reports
- COA (certificate of analysis)
- A document from a testing laboratory recording what it measured in a specific sample.
- HPLC
- High-performance liquid chromatography. Separates a sample into its components so the proportion of the target compound can be measured. This is where a purity percentage comes from.
- LC-MS
- Liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Separates the sample, then measures molecular mass to confirm the compound is what it is declared to be.
- LAL
- Limulus amebocyte lysate assay, the standard test for bacterial endotoxin. Reported against a threshold in EU/mL.
- Endotoxin
- A heat-stable component of some bacterial cell walls. Measured because it persists even where no live organism remains.
- ICP-MS
- Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, used to screen for heavy metals.
- Net content
- The mass of material a laboratory actually measured in a vial, as distinct from the amount declared on the label.
- Purity
- The proportion of a sample that is the stated compound, expressed as a percentage.
- Lot / batch
- A quantity produced together under the same conditions, given one identifier. Testing applies to a lot, which is why the lot number is what ties a report to a vial.
- Accession number
- The testing laboratory's own reference for a sample it received.
On the vial
- Lyophilized
- Freeze-dried to a solid powder. Most vials here arrive lyophilized, which is why they are shipped and stored dry.
- Reconstitution
- Returning a lyophilized powder to solution by adding a solvent such as bacteriostatic water.
- Bacteriostatic water
- Sterile water containing a preservative, used where a solution will be drawn from more than once.
- Blend
- A vial containing more than one compound. A blend's report lists each component separately in its composition table.
On your order
- RUO (research use only)
- Supplied for laboratory research. Not a drug or supplement, and not for human or veterinary use, diagnosis or treatment.
- Order reference
- The NVL- code on your confirmation. Quote it in any message about that order.
- Invoiced
- The stage at which we have sent you payment instructions and a shipping quote. Nothing is charged before this.