Accepted answer
The short version: ask for the lot-specific certificate, check the method section, check the lot code ties to a vial, then spend a small amount and test it yourself.
The pre-order sequence: request a lot-specific certificate for the exact line, check that it names a lot code rather than a batch family, check that it carries the column, gradient and detection wavelength, and check the analysis date is recent relative to the lot.
Cost per milligram, adjusted honestly
| Step | Value | Note |
|---|
| Vial price, 10 mg nominal | £34.00 | As advertised |
| Nominal cost per mg | £3.40 | 34 ÷ 10 |
| Measured content | 9.2 mg | Independent content assay |
| Cost per actual mg | £3.70 | 34 ÷ 9.2 |
| Dead-space loss, 20 draws | 4 % | 80 µL of a 2 mL fill |
| Cost per delivered mg | £3.85 | 3.70 ÷ 0.96 |
| First vial, with £110 assay | £14.85 | Testing dominates a single vial |
The post-arrival sequence: inspect before reconstitution, photograph anything unexpected, confirm the lot code is physically on the vial, and submit a sample to an independent laboratory before committing to a larger order.
The independent testing services this community references — Janoshik, Medutest, PeptideMeter and VendorInvestigate — publish results that can be searched by supplier, compound and date, which makes prior lots checkable.
The caveat is that a good result on one lot is a fact about that lot. It is a prior for the next one, not a guarantee.
Two lots agreeing is worth more than one lot excelling.
edited 28 May 2024 by tobias_maartens — added a caveat about sampling