A Researcher's Glossary: Terms on Every LOCKED Product Page
Every LOCKED product page lists the same set of identifiers and specs. Here's a plain-language glossary of what each one means and why it belongs on a research-grade label.
By LOCKED Research Team · Analytical Standards
Research Use Only. This article is educational and does not constitute medical advice or a claim of safety or efficacy. LOCKED products are supplied for laboratory research use only (RUO). They are not drugs, foods, dietary supplements, cosmetics, or medical devices, are not for human or animal consumption, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. LOCKED makes no medical, therapeutic, or performance claims. The purchaser is solely responsible for compliance with all applicable laws and for lawful use.
Open any LOCKED product page and you'll find the same vocabulary: a CAS number, a molecular formula, a purity method, a batch code. None of it is decoration — each field is part of documenting exactly what a compound is. Here's what the terms mean.
Identity
CAS number — a unique registry number assigned to a specific chemical substance. It's an unambiguous way to identify a compound across catalogs and literature. (A few newer or blended materials have no assigned CAS; where that's the case, we leave it blank rather than invent one.)
Molecular formula — the count of each atom in one molecule, e.g. C62H98N16O22. It's the compositional fingerprint of the compound.
Molecular weight (Da) — the mass of one molecule in daltons. On a Certificate of Analysis, the measured mass (by mass spectrometry) should match this known value.
Sequence — for peptides, the order of amino acids in one-letter code (with modifications noted). It defines the molecule's primary structure.
Analysis
RP-HPLC — reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The method used to quantify purity; it separates a sample into peaks and reports the target compound as a percentage of the whole.
Mass spectrometry (MS) — measures a molecule's mass directly to confirm identity: is this the stated compound? HPLC answers "how pure," MS answers "pure what."
Purity (≥%) — the proportion of the sample that is the target compound, by HPLC, reported per batch as an exact figure.
Provenance
Batch — a single production run, tested together. Lot — a specific fill of that batch. Both resolve to the same Certificate of Analysis (COA) — the analytical record for that material.
Physical form & handling
Lyophilized — freeze-dried to a stable powder. Reconstitution — the laboratory step of dissolving that powder in an appropriate solvent for in-vitro work. Storage — typically -20°C, desiccated, protected from light, per the certificate.
Why it's all there
A research-grade label isn't trying to sell an outcome — it's trying to prove an identity. Every term above narrows "what's in the vial" until there's no ambiguity left. That's the whole job of documentation, and it's why these fields appear on every LOCKED page.