Identity and purity (HPLC-DAD, spectroscopy, CE)
Enough for duplicate preparation at the method concentration, plus retained sample. Usually the smallest requirement of any panel. A partially used vial is often workable.
Before you post anything
What to send, how much, and how to pack it.
Nothing on this page overrides the written acceptance you receive. Scope review sets the binding quantity and format for your specific compound and method; this is what to expect before that conversation.
Start a requestMatrix decides the difficulty.
“Matrix” is everything in the sample that is not the analyte. It is the single biggest driver of whether a submission is routine, needs development work, or cannot be accepted at all.
| Sample form | Status | Quantity guidance | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyophilized powder in a sealed vial | Preferred | One complete unopened vial per test where possible | A complete unopened vial supports content measurement without needing to reconstruct a prior dilution or withdrawal. |
| Loose powder or bulk raw material | Accepted | Enough for duplicate preparation plus retained sample | Send in a sealed, labelled primary container. Bulk material is well suited to identity and purity work; content against a label claim needs a stated nominal amount to compare against. |
| Reconstituted solution | Prior approval required | Volume and concentration confirmed at review | Degradation and adsorption continue during transit, so a poor result on a liquid can reflect the journey rather than the product. Approved only where the question genuinely requires the solution form. |
| Diluent, bacteriostatic water, or carrier solution | Prior approval required | Sealed unopened container | Tested for microbiological quality, endotoxin, or stated preservative concentration. A peptide identity panel has nothing to match against on a diluent. |
| Finished cream, serum, or topical formulation | Feasibility review | Confirmed after matrix assessment | Surfactants, thickeners, and carriers interfere with both separation and ionisation. Sample preparation usually has to be developed before a result can be committed to. |
| Tablet, capsule, or other finished dosage form | Feasibility review | Several units, confirmed at review | Fillers and coatings dominate the weight. Extraction and recovery have to be established before a content figure from a dosage form means anything. |
| Biological specimen: blood, serum, urine, tissue | Never accepted | — | This laboratory does not accept human or animal specimens of any kind, from any origin, for any purpose. |
| Controlled substances | Never accepted | — | Not accepted under any circumstances. A package found to contain one is handled under the terms of service. |
What actually sets the amount
There is no single milligram figure that covers every compound, because the requirement is set by concentration at the method, not by the compound name. These are the drivers behind the number you are given.
Content against label claim (on request)
A complete unopened unit, so gross and net can both be established. This is the test most often compromised by an opened vial, because material and moisture have already moved.
Blend analysis
Scaled to the number of declared components. Each component needs enough signal to be assessed, so a three-component blend is not a one-component sample.
Bacterial endotoxin
Enough to prepare at or below the maximum valid dilution. The limit being tested against determines how much dilution is permissible, which determines how much sample is needed.
Heavy metals
Enough for digestion, a spiked replicate, and a method blank. Contamination is often heterogeneous, so a larger, more representative portion gives a more meaningful number.
Four rules that prevent most problems.
Nearly every intake issue this laboratory sees traces back to one of these four, and all four are free to get right.
Label the outer pouch, not the cap
Write the sample ID on the secondary pouch or the packing slip rather than on the vial cap. Caps get swapped, and a marking on a cap cannot be reconciled to a record if the cap and vial separate in transit.
Two containers, always
A leak-proof primary container inside a sealed protective secondary bag. The secondary layer is what stops a cracked vial in a cold parcel from becoming an unidentifiable spill.
Print and enclose the packing slip
The slip issued with acceptance is what matches the package to the accepted scope on arrival. A package with no slip and no sample ID cannot be reliably matched to a client and is held rather than opened.
Cold packs only when the review says so
Most lyophilized submissions travel fine at ambient temperature and are harmed more by condensation from a thawing pack than by warmth. Where cold chain is required, scope review says so and specifies the arrangement.
Do not put these in the package.
These are refused from every origin and for every stated purpose. A package containing one is not analysed, and handling follows the terms of service rather than the normal intake process.
- Needles, syringes, lancets, or any other sharps
- Human or animal biological specimens of any kind
- Controlled substances
- Hazardous, flammable, corrosive, or pressurised material without prior written approval
- Anything not named in the accepted scope for that sample ID
- Any sample sent before the request has been accepted and an ID issued