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 review laboratory analytical reports · Understanding COAs
Batch number: A production or release identifier used by a manufacturer or laboratory for a group of material produced under the same conditions. In research procurement, the critical rule is consistency: the number on the vial must match the Certificate of Analysis and receiving record—whether the supplier labels it “lot” or “batch.”
Related: Lot number · Understanding COAs · Packaging and receiving
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 · Reviewing analytical reports · Fake COA red flags
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 · Interactive chromatogram walkthrough
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 · Finding HPLC sections on reports
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 · Finding identity sections on reports
LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System): Software used by laboratories to track samples, inventory, and related documentation. For research materials, LIMS (or an equivalent controlled archive) commonly stores lot identifiers, certificate status, and links to Certificates of Analysis—without implying clinical authorization.
Related: Archiving batch records · Lot number · Research Vault
Lot number: A unique identifier tying a physical container to manufacturing or release documentation for that specific unit of material. Essential for traceability in laboratory quality systems. Often used interchangeably with “batch number” in supplier paperwork—confirm your institution’s preferred term in SOPs.
Related: Batch number · Batch verification · Research Vault · Understanding batch verification
Main peak: The primary analyte signal used for purity calculations on a chromatogram, subject to the laboratory’s integration rules.
Net peptide content (NPC): When reported on a Certificate of Analysis, a lot-specific figure describing how much of the solid material mass is attributable to the peptide under a named assay or reporting basis. Distinct from chromatographic (HPLC) purity and from identity confirmation.
Related: Net peptide content explained · Purity versus identity · Understanding COAs
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 · Net peptide content explained
Quarantine (receiving hold): A controlled hold status for received research material pending disposition—used when packaging is compromised, identifiers disagree, required documentation is missing, or quantity does not reconcile. Quarantine is a process state under institutional SOPs, not a clinical judgment and not authorization for human or veterinary use.
Related: Receiving inspection checklist · Packaging and receiving documentation · Quality standards
Receiving inspection: The intake review of a research-material shipment: external and internal packaging condition, label and seal state, purchase-order reconciliation, lot-number matching, documentation status, storage assignment, and quarantine or inventory entry under institutional SOPs.
Related: Receiving inspection checklist · Packaging and receiving documentation · Laboratory storage reference
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 + temperature chart · Storage documentation article · Recording storage at receiving
Supplier qualification: A documented laboratory procurement process for approving research-material suppliers against objective criteria—lot traceability, analytical documentation, documentation integrity, packaging standards, and communication—through initial qualification, ongoing monitoring, and requalification. Educational scorecards do not assert that any specific supplier has passed unless the institution has separately recorded that decision.
Related: Supplier qualification guide · Evaluating research-material suppliers · Supplier evaluation checklist
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.