Certificates of Analysis & lab testing

Why COAs matter

A peptide is only as good as the data behind it. A Certificate of Analysis (COA) is the document that links a specific physical vial in your hand to the analytical evidence that the molecule inside is what the label says it is, at the purity claimed. For research peptides that means two things: identity (it really is the sequence printed on the label) and purity (the target peptide accounts for >99% of the integrated chromatographic signal).

HPLC — the purity test

High-Performance Liquid Chromatography pushes a dissolved peptide sample through a C18 reverse-phase column under a controlled solvent gradient. The target peptide, plus any synthesis byproducts, deletion sequences, oxidation products, or truncations, elutes at slightly different times and is detected by UV absorbance at 214 nm and 280 nm. Integrating the area of the target peak versus the total area of all detectable peaks gives the percentage purity. We accept lots only when this number is greater than 99.0%.

Mass spectrometry — the identity test

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) measures the molecular weight of the eluting peak with sub-Dalton precision. We compare the observed monoisotopic mass to the theoretical mass calculated from the target sequence. A match within tolerance confirms the molecule actually present is the molecule the synthesis was designed to produce — ruling out failed couplings, deamidation, oxidation byproducts, and sequence transpositions that HPLC alone cannot distinguish.

What a Peptides Canada COA contains

• Product name & sequence in single-letter code
• Lot number and manufacture date
• Molecular formula and theoretical molecular weight
• HPLC chromatogram with integrated %purity
• Mass spectrum with observed mass
• Appearance (e.g. white lyophilized cake)
• Solubility note (typical reconstitution solvent)
• Storage recommendation
• QC release signature from the analytical chemist
• Retest date — the date by which we recommend re-running QC if the vial is still in inventory

How to request your COA

1. Find your order number in your order-confirmation email.
2. Look at the printed lot number on the vial label.
3. Email sales@peptides-canada.ca with both. We typically respond within one business day with the full COA PDF.

You can also request the COA before placing an order — email us with the product name and we will send the most recent in-stock lot's COA so you can review the data prior to purchase.

Third-party verification

In addition to in-house QC, randomly selected lots are cross-verified by an independent United States analytical laboratory. Third-party COAs are available for those lots on request.