Linkable asset
Analytical testing glossary
Definitions for laboratory documentation and research-material procurement. Research use only — not medical or dosing guidance.
- Analytical report
- A laboratory document summarizing methods and results for a sample or lot. A Certificate of Analysis is a common batch-linked form used in research procurement.
Related: How to read an analytical report · Understanding COAs
- Batch verification
- Looking up a lot number (or scanning a QR target) to open the corresponding batch documentation record for that container.
Related: Verify a batch · Understanding batch verification
- Certificate of Analysis (COA)
- A batch-linked laboratory document summarizing analytical results for a specific lot, typically including identity and/or purity methods, results, and dates. Used for research documentation—not as clinical authorization.
Related: Understanding COAs
- Chromatogram
- The detector signal recorded over time during a chromatographic run. Analysts integrate peaks to estimate relative abundance under the method’s rules.
Related: HPLC testing explained
- HPLC
- High-performance liquid chromatography. Separates components in a dissolved sample under pressure; used to report chromatographic purity for many research-material lots.
Related: HPLC testing explained
- Identity testing
- Analytical work that asks whether observed evidence is consistent with the expected compound. Mass spectrometry is commonly used for this purpose in research-material documentation.
Related: LC-MS identity testing · Purity versus identity
- Impurity peak
- An additional chromatographic signal integrated under the method rules and considered when reporting purity.
- LC-MS
- Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Combines chromatographic separation with mass analysis; often used to support identity confirmation for research materials.
Related: LC-MS identity testing
- Lot number (batch identifier)
- A unique identifier tying a physical container to manufacturing or release documentation. Essential for traceability in laboratory quality systems.
Related: Batch verification · Research Vault
- Main peak
- The primary analyte signal used for purity calculations on a chromatogram, subject to the laboratory’s integration rules.
- Orthogonal method
- A second analytical approach that provides independent evidence about a material (for example, MS identity alongside HPLC purity). Used to strengthen documentation confidence.
- Purity testing
- Analytical work that estimates how much of a measured signal is attributable to the primary analyte under defined method conditions. HPLC is a common technique. Results are method-dependent and lot-specific.
Related: HPLC testing explained · Purity versus identity
- Research Use Only (RUO)
- Positioning that materials are supplied for laboratory research use and are not intended for human or veterinary use, diagnosis, or treatment. A disclaimer alone does not determine every regulatory outcome for every buyer.
Related: RUO policy · Compliance overview
- Retention time
- The time at which a peak elutes under stated chromatographic conditions. Useful for method context; not by itself a complete identity proof.
- Storage documentation
- Records of assigned storage conditions (temperature, light/moisture protection, location) tied to a lot or inventory entry under institutional SOPs.
Related: Laboratory storage reference · Storage documentation article
- System suitability
- Checks that confirm an analytical system is performing adequately before or during sample analysis. Often referenced in laboratory SOPs; may or may not appear on a supplier COA.
- Target purity (catalog)
- Catalog language describing the intended release specification for a SKU. Lot-specific measured values belong on the batch record or COA when available—not as a substitute for that certificate.
Related: Quality standards
Explore the research library, testing methodology, and Research Use Only policy.