TSS Chemicals · Applications

Laboratory & Quality Control

A reagent's impurity profile sets the floor of what your method can detect. In analytical work the grade is not a quality badge — it is a specification you are designing against, which is why protocols name one.

What decides the specification

  1. 01

    AR, ACS and chromatography grades are not interchangeable

    Analytical Reagent grade denotes purity suitable for quantitative analysis. ACS grade means the material meets the specifications published by the American Chemical Society's Committee on Analytical Reagents — a defined list, not a general claim. Chromatography grade adds low UV absorbance for use as a mobile phase or standard. If a method names one, substituting another changes the method.

  2. 02

    None of these is a pharmacopoeial grade

    AR, ACS and HPLC describe purity for laboratory use and carry no compendial status. Material destined for a medicinal product needs a pharmacopoeial grade, which is a different specification answering to a different authority.

  3. 03

    Pack size is part of the specification

    A reagent bought in a size you cannot use before it degrades is the wrong purchase whatever the assay says. Say what quantity you actually consume in a working period, and buy to that.

Where to look

The catalogue is on the TSS storefront and is searchable by name and CAS number.

What to put on the enquiry

These four turn an enquiry into something that can be quoted without a round trip.

  • The grade the method names — AR, ACS or chromatography.
  • The compound name or CAS number, and the assay if your method sets one.
  • The pack size you consume in a working period, not the cheapest per kilo.
  • The destination country.
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Common questions

Is ACS grade the same as analytical reagent grade?
No. Analytical Reagent describes purity suitable for quantitative analysis in general terms, while ACS grade means the material meets a specific published specification from the American Chemical Society's Committee on Analytical Reagents. If a protocol names ACS, it is naming that specification.
Can a laboratory reagent grade be used in a pharmaceutical product?
Not on the strength of the grade alone. AR, ACS and chromatography grades carry no compendial status. Material entering a medicinal product needs a pharmacopoeial grade — USP, BP or EP — because that is what the regulator assesses against.