How to read a certificate.

Seven things to check on any certificate of analysis, ours or anyone else's. It takes about two minutes.

AnnotatedA real certificate layout

Seven checksWhat each test proves

Then verifyScan any Smart Amino vial

01Annotated

One certificate, seven checks.

Hover or tap a check to find it on the certificate.

Sample

1Certificate of AnalysisReport SA-2611-01 · 2026-10-14

3HPLC purity99.62%

Test	Method	Limit	Result
Purity	HPLC	≥ 99.0%	Pass
4Identity	Mass spectrometry	± 1.0 Da of theoretical	Pass
5Net content	Quantitative HPLC	≥ labelled mg	Pass
6Endotoxin	LAL assay	≤ 0.5 EU/mg	Pass
Sterility	Membrane filtration	No growth	Pass
Heavy metals	ICP-MS	≤ 10 ppm total	Pass
Moisture	Karl Fischer	≤ 8.0%	Pass

7Approved by: analyst signature

1
Header
Lab name, report number and the date the testing finished.
2
Lot number
The lot the QR code on your vial opens. One lot, one certificate.
3
Purity (HPLC)
The target peptide's share of the sample. Smart Amino releases a lot only at 99% or above.
4
Identity (MS)
Measured molecular weight against theoretical. They must match within the method's tolerance.
5
Net content
How much peptide is in the vial, so the labelled mass is the real mass.
6
Safety screens
Endotoxin, sterility, heavy metals and moisture, each with its release limit and result.
7
Signature
The analyst's approval. A certificate without one is a draft.

02The seven tests

A purity figure on its own says nothing about identity, quantity or contamination. These seven together do.

HPLCLimit ≥ 99.0%

Separates the peptide from synthesis by-products and measures what share of the sample is the target compound.

Mass spectrometryLimit ± 1.0 Da of theoretical

Confirms the molecule in the vial is the molecule on the label, by its measured molecular weight.

Quantitative HPLCLimit ≥ labelled mg

Measures how much peptide is actually in the vial, so 10 mg on the label means 10 mg in the glass.

LAL assayLimit ≤ 0.5 EU/mg

Screens for bacterial endotoxin, the most common contaminant in synthesised material.

Membrane filtrationLimit No growth

Incubates the sample to confirm no microbial growth before the lot is released.

ICP-MSLimit ≤ 10 ppm total

Screens for lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury carried over from reagents or equipment.

Karl FischerLimit ≤ 8.0%

Measures residual water in the lyophilised cake, which governs how stable the material stays in storage.

03Side by side

A certificate you can rely on

!Red flags

No lot number, or the same one on every productA certificate has to describe the vial in your hand. One lot, one report.
Purity onlyHPLC purity says nothing about whether it is the right molecule. Look for a mass-spec identity result.
Pass without a numberA result should be a measured value printed beside its limit, not a tick.
No laboratory namedAn independent lab should be named and reachable, so the report can be checked with them.
No date, no signatureAn undated, unsigned report is a draft, not a release.
Net content missingWithout it, nobody has measured how much material is actually in the vial.

04Now check a real one

Search a lot number, scan the QR on your vial, or browse by compound.