The relevant point is that two competent laboratories disagree by half a per cent on identical material, which is larger than most of the differences people argue about.
Sample size matters. One order each is an anecdote about six vials; three orders each over a year is the beginning of a comparison.
Certificate red flags and what each implies
| Observation | Implication | How to check |
|---|
| Lot number not on the vial | Certificate cannot be tied to your material | Photograph vial and certificate together |
| No method section | The number is not reproducible | Request column, gradient, wavelength |
| Purity to two decimals, no chromatogram | False precision | Request the trace |
| Test date before manufacture date | Certificate belongs to a different lot | Compare dates |
| Identical figures across lots | One certificate reused | Compare two lots side by side |
| “Sterile filtered” with no sterility test | Process claim substituted for a result | Ask for the sterility report |
Compare documentation on a fixed checklist rather than by impression: lot specificity, method section, chromatogram availability, quantified content, water and counter-ion figures, and whether the code is on the vial.
Nothing here is medical advice, and research-use compounds are not approved for human use.
Use a fixed documentation checklist rather than an impression.
edited 25 Aug 2025 by sunniva_dahl — added a caveat about sampling