Testing services
Every method below is run in-house at our Carlsbad facility. Nothing is subcontracted without disclosure on the certificate.
Analytical methods
Method codes appear on every certificate so a result can be traced back to the exact procedure used to produce it.
Gradient separation on a C18 column with UV detection at 214 nm, the wavelength of the peptide bond. Purity is reported as percent of total peak area, with every impurity above 0.05% listed individually in the certificate's impurity table.
Electrospray ionization time-of-flight measures the intact molecular mass and compares it to the theoretical mass calculated from the declared sequence. Deconvoluted spectra are included in the report. Mass error above 5 ppm is flagged, not silently rounded.
Quantitative HPLC against a certified reference standard, or amino acid analysis where no standard exists. Distinguishes actual peptide mass from water, counter-ions, and excipients — a 99% pure powder can still be 20% acetate salt.
Karl Fischer titration for residual moisture and ion chromatography for acetate or trifluoroacetate. Both feed directly into the net content calculation and explain most discrepancies between label weight and measured activity.
Kinetic chromogenic Limulus amebocyte lysate assay reported in endotoxin units per milligram. Required for anything approaching cell culture or in-vivo research, where endotoxin — not purity — is usually what ruins the experiment.
Membrane filtration and plate count for aerobic bacteria, yeast, and mold. Run on reconstituted material under laminar flow, with negative controls carried through the full procedure.
Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury, plus catalyst residues such as palladium and nickel that can carry over from synthesis.
Headspace gas chromatography for acetonitrile, DMF, DCM, methanol, and other Class 1–3 solvents left over from synthesis and lyophilization.
Test packages
Packages cover the combinations we run most. Tell us on the quote form if your project needs something outside them.
Identity and purity — the sourcing decision panel.
Adds content and salt-form data to the purity picture.
Everything, including biological contamination.
If you only need one figure re-checked after a formulation change, or want to confirm a supplier's endotoxin claim without repeating purity work, say so on the quote form and we will price the individual method.
For manufacturers and distributors running recurring lots: standing pricing, a dedicated submission portal, lot-over-lot trending, and bulk COA publication with your product SKUs attached.
Turnaround
Standard turnaround is three business days from the moment your sample is logged. Endotoxin and sterility work extends that — biology does not run faster because an invoice is marked rush.
You are notified at intake, at analysis start, and at publication. If anything about the sample blocks analysis — insufficient mass, unlabeled vials, a compromised container — you hear from us the same day, not at the end of the window.
| Service | Standard | Rush |
|---|---|---|
| Purity + identity | 3 business days | 24 hours |
| Net content / water / counter-ion | 4 business days | 48 hours |
| Heavy metals · residual solvents | 5 business days | 72 hours |
| Bacterial endotoxin | 5 business days | 48 hours |
| Sterility / bioburden | 14–17 days | Not available |
Rush service adds 50% to the package price and must be arranged before shipping so the sample can be routed to the priority queue on arrival.
Sample requirements
Getting this right is the difference between a three-day turnaround and a phone call asking for more material.
1–5 mg of lyophilized powder per test package. Solutions accepted at known concentration; note the solvent on the submission form.
Each vial marked with your sample ID and the declared compound name. Unlabeled vials cannot be logged and will be held.
Print the submission form generated with your quote and include it in the package. It carries the barcode used at intake.
Ambient shipping is fine for lyophilized peptide. Ship reconstituted or unstable material on cold packs, overnight, Monday through Wednesday.
Remaining material is stored at −20 °C for 90 days in case re-analysis is requested, then destroyed. Return shipping is available on request.
Questions
Yes, with one control: the submitting client decides whether a certificate is published publicly or kept private to their account. What they cannot do is change what it says. A private certificate still exists at its permanent ID and still returns the original data if the ID is looked up by anyone holding it.
Yes. Individual researchers submit third-party material constantly, and it is one of the more common submissions we see. The certificate names the sample as you declared it and notes that the material was supplied by a third party, since we cannot verify a chain of custody that began before we received it.
Give us the compound name and we will calculate the theoretical mass from published sequence data. For unknown or custom material, mass spectrometry still returns the observed mass and we can attempt structural characterization as a separate project.
Our quality system is built to ISO/IEC 17025 and we are in the accreditation process for methods EPL-101 through EPL-104. Certificates state the accreditation status of each method as of the date of issue rather than implying blanket coverage.
Indefinitely. A certificate ID resolves permanently. Raw instrument data behind it is retained for five years and is available to the submitting client on request.
Yes. Ship with a commercial invoice describing the contents as research chemical samples of no commercial value, and include the submission form. Customs delays sit outside the turnaround clock, which starts at intake.
Pick a package, list your samples, and we will return written pricing and a shipping address within one business day.