Quality and documentation
A reference standard is only as useful as the paperwork that travels with it. This is what accompanies every lot CATO ships, and what to check before you release it into your system.
Certificate of analysis
Each lot is issued with its own certificate of analysis. The certificate identifies the lot, the catalogue number, the CAS number and the analytical method used for that lot, and states the value assigned to the material together with the basis for that assignment. Certificates are retrieved by lot number, so the document you file corresponds to the vial in your hand rather than to the product in general.
- Certificate of analysis lookup — enter the catalogue or lot number.
- Certificates and safety data sheets can also be requested by email at chao.lu@cato-chem.com.
Identity, purity and content
Impurity and metabolite standards are not commodities: two lots of the same catalogue number can differ in the value that should be used in a calculation. The certificate therefore reports the quantity that was measured and how it was measured, so that a laboratory can decide whether the material is fit for its intended use — for example as a system suitability check, as a quantification standard, or as an identification standard.
Safety data sheets and transport
A safety data sheet is supplied for each catalogue item, and shipping conditions are set for the compound rather than for the catalogue as a whole. Items requiring cold shipment are packed and documented accordingly, and the SDS supports the transport classification for the shipment.
Storage and handling
Storage conditions are stated on the product page and on the certificate. Where a compound is moisture-, light- or temperature-sensitive, that is reflected in the recommended condition and in the shipping configuration rather than left to the receiving laboratory to discover.
Standards and accreditation
CATO operates a quality management system covering the production and certification of reference materials and holds ISO 17034, ISO 9001, CNAS, SGS certification. Certificates of registration and the scope of accreditation are available on request; the scope statement, not the certificate number alone, is what confirms that a particular activity is covered.
Custom synthesis and structural confirmation
Compounds that are not in the catalogue can be quoted for custom synthesis or isolation, including labelled analogues. Send the structure or the parent drug CAS number together with the quantity and the required date, and the feasibility of the route will be confirmed in the written reply.