Research Compound Reference
GHK-Cu Research Peptide
GHK-Cu is the copper(II) complex of the tripeptide glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine. This reference page covers its chemical identity, the analytical methods used to document it, and laboratory handling — nothing else.
For research use only. Not for human consumption.
Chemical identity reference
- Compound name
- GHK-Cu
- Common synonyms
- Copper peptide, GHK copper, glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine copper(II)
- Peptide sequence
- Gly-His-Lys (GHK)
- Molecular formula (free GHK peptide)
- C14H24N6O4
- Average molecular weight (free GHK peptide)
- 340.4 g/mol
- Molecular formula (copper complex)
- C14H22CuN6O41:1 peptide-to-copper(II) complex
- Average molecular weight (copper complex)
- ≈ 403.9 g/mol
- CAS number (GHK-Cu)
- 89030-95-5
- CAS number (GHK, free peptide)
- 49557-75-7
- Research classification
- Metal-binding tripeptide / copper coordination complex
- Vial Drop research format
- GHK-Cu 100 mg, lyophilised
Chemical identity
GHK is a tripeptide of glycine, L-histidine and L-lysine. Its histidine imidazole nitrogen, the N-terminal amine and the adjacent backbone amide together form a coordination site with high affinity for copper(II), and GHK-Cu is the resulting 1:1 peptide-copper complex.
Because the coordinated copper is part of the identity of the material, GHK and GHK-Cu are distinct chemical entities with distinct CAS registry numbers and distinct masses. Analytical documentation should be read with that distinction in mind: a report may characterise the peptide component, the complex, or both.
The complex is characteristically blue in solution, a direct consequence of copper(II) d-d absorption rather than any additive or colourant.
Analytical methodology
Published Vial Drop Labs documentation for GHK-Cu research material is produced by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD). The chromatographic run provides an area-percent purity figure, the report states content per vial against the stated label claim, and identity is reported as conforming on the basis of retention time and UV/DAD spectral comparison against a reference standard.
As general analytical background, orthogonal techniques such as mass spectrometry answer a different question — the measured mass of a principal component against a theoretical mass. Current Vial Drop Labs reports do not include mass-spectrometry results, and nothing on this page should be read as claiming they do.
Reading the analytical documentation
A Certificate of Analysis links a submitted sample to the analytical work performed on it. Current Vial Drop Labs reports are produced by validated HPLC-DAD methodology and answer two separate questions — what the material is, and how much of it is present.
- Identity — on current Vial Drop Labs reports, identity is reported as conforming on the basis of retention time and UV/DAD spectral comparison against a reference standard. Current reports do not include mass-spectrometry results.
- Purity — HPLC separates the dissolved sample across a column; the target peak's share of total integrated peak area is reported as an area-percent purity figure.
- Content — peptide and compound reports separately state the content per vial in mg against the stated label claim. Chromatographic purity and content per vial are two different measurements and should not be read as one.
- Sample scope — the report identifiers and test date describe the randomized sample the laboratory received and the batch it was drawn from as supplied to the laboratory. Recording the certificate ID alongside your own experimental records keeps the analytical record resolvable.
- Scope — a report describes only the specific sample submitted. Unless a report expressly states otherwise, it does not assess sterility, endotoxin, microbial content, heavy metals or residual solvents, and it is not a safety or fitness-for-use determination.
How Vial Drop publishes analytical documentation
Vial Drop Labs publishes independent analytical reports for tested research materials, with available reports accessible through the Research Documentation portal against the research material and the sample identified on each report. Each analytical report applies only to the sample submitted for analysis and should not be interpreted as testing of every vial or production unit.
Not every report is publicly listed. Where no report has been published for a material, the portal shows none rather than substituting another material's, strength's or batch's results. Documentation is never averaged, combined, or extrapolated between lots.
Current reports are issued by an independent third-party analytical laboratory using validated HPLC-DAD methodology. They report chromatographic purity as area %, content per vial against label claim, and identity as conforming by retention-time and UV/DAD comparison against a reference standard. Current reports do not include mass-spectrometry results.
Vial Drop Labs makes no representation that material is pharmaceutical grade, clinical grade, sterile, safe, or approved by any regulatory authority. Published documentation states exactly what was tested, by which method, and on which date — nothing further should be inferred from it.
Laboratory storage and handling
Material is supplied lyophilised in a sealed glass vial. General laboratory practice for lyophilised peptides applies: store sealed at -20 °C for long-term storage, protect from light, and minimise exposure to atmospheric moisture.
Allow a cold sealed vial to equilibrate to ambient temperature before opening so that atmospheric moisture does not condense onto the dry cake. Lyophilised peptide material is hygroscopic, and repeated warm/cold cycling of an opened vial is the most common cause of avoidable degradation in a laboratory setting.
Handle as an uncharacterised laboratory chemical using standard laboratory protective equipment and institutional handling procedures.
Research use only
This material is supplied strictly as a laboratory research chemical. It is not a drug, supplement, cosmetic, food or medical device, and it is not manufactured, labelled or sold for human or animal use of any kind.
Vial Drop Labs does not provide, and cannot provide, dosing, administration, preparation-for-use, therapeutic or clinical guidance. Published information is limited to chemical identity, laboratory handling and analytical documentation.
Research catalog access
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