How to Read a Certificate of Analysis (COA)
A certificate of analysis documents a lot's identity and purity. Learn what each section means — HPLC purity, mass-spec identity, lot number, and storage.
- A certificate of analysis (COA) is a lab document that reports the tested identity and purity of a specific production lot.
- Identity is confirmed by mass spectrometry (MS), which matches the measured molecular mass to the expected mass.
- Purity is measured by HPLC and reported as an area-percent figure; research-grade material is typically greater than 98 to 99 percent.
- Always match the lot or batch number on the COA to the number printed on the vial so the document describes the material you received.
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