§ Glossary · analytical

HPLC

High-performance liquid chromatography — the standard purity assay for research peptides.

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separates molecules in a sample by their interaction with a stationary phase (column packing) and mobile phase (eluent). For peptide purity testing, reverse-phase HPLC is standard: the peptide and any impurities elute at different retention times, and the area-under-curve of the main peak vs total peaks gives the purity percentage. A purity of >98% is the typical baseline for a research-grade peptide; >99% is high-end. The HPLC trace is part of the certificate of analysis (COA) that should accompany every research peptide.

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