High Tide Academy
Laboratory Glossary
This glossary collects the technical terms used across the High Tide Academy in one place, each defined briefly and consistently. It is designed to support the rest of the library: where a term appears in an article, it can link here for a quick definition. Definitions are intentionally concise; the linked articles provide the fuller treatment.
87 terms
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A
Formal recognition that a laboratory operates under recognized quality standards.
A brown-tinted container used to limit how much light reaches its contents.
The temperature of the surrounding environment, with no heating or cooling applied.
A molecular building block that links with others to form peptides and proteins.
The specific substance being measured in an analysis.
A device used to measure a property of a sample, such as an HPLC system or mass spectrometer.
A technique used to answer a question about a material (identity, purity, contents).
One chromatographic peak's area as a percentage of the total area of all peaks.
B
A specific, traceable quantity of material produced or packaged together.
How closely separate batches meet the same specifications and behave the same way.
C
A batch-specific document reporting analytical test results against specifications.
The documented trail showing how a sample moved from batch to testing laboratory.
A documented process for reviewing and recording any change to a method, material, or procedure.
A company that supplies chemical or biochemical materials for laboratory research use.
A plot of detector response over time; each peak is a component from the separation.
A family of techniques that separate a mixture by how its components move through a medium.
An unbroken, temperature-controlled supply chain from origin to destination.
Water forming on a cold surface when it meets warmer, moister air.
Whether a batch, overall, meets the specifications defined for it.
The presence of unintended material in a sample, container, or work area.
A reference point that helps distinguish a real effect from background variation.
D
A material that absorbs moisture, used to keep a storage environment dry.
The smallest amount a method can reliably detect; below it, nothing is reported.
Outer packaging that does not identify its contents or the supplier on the exterior.
The documented removal of used materials and waste under defined procedures.
The written record of what was done, by whom, and with which materials.
E
A lipopolysaccharide from gram-negative bacterial cell walls that can persist after cells die.
A standardized unit expressing the amount of endotoxin present (e.g., EU/mL).
F
One round of freezing then thawing; repeated cycles can stress some materials.
G
Laboratory vessels such as flasks, beakers, and vials, usually made of borosilicate glass.
H
A metallic element of concern as a trace contaminant (e.g., lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury).
High-Performance Liquid Chromatography; separates a sample's components for measurement.
Tending to absorb moisture from the surrounding air.
I
The determination that a material is the specific compound it is represented to be.
Performed outside a living organism, in a controlled laboratory environment.
Holding a sample under controlled conditions for a set period as part of a test.
A maintained record of which materials are held, in what quantity, and where.
L
The information applied to a container identifying its contents, batch, and handling conditions.
Liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry; separation plus mass analysis.
Describing a material whose properties can change on exposure to light.
A large molecule from the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria; the source of endotoxin.
Freeze-drying; removing water from a frozen material by sublimation under vacuum.
The solid, porous plug of material left in a vial after freeze-drying.
M
A technique measuring the mass-to-charge ratio of ions to give mass information.
The ratio of an ion's mass to its charge, used to infer molecular mass.
A value obtained for a property of a sample using a defined method.
The range within which the true value of a measurement is expected to lie.
A defined, repeatable procedure for carrying out a test or a preparation.
An increase in the number of viable microorganisms present in a material.
The liquid solvent that carries a sample through a chromatographic column.
The mass of one molecule, usually expressed in daltons or grams per mole.
N
The measured quantity of material actually present, verified against the label.
P
The area under one chromatographic peak, proportional to how much of that component is present.
A short chain of amino acids linked by peptide bonds.
The chemical bond linking one amino acid to the next along a peptide chain.
Items such as gloves, eye protection, and lab coats worn to reduce exposure during work.
Chemical change in a material caused by exposure to light.
Parts per million / parts per billion; units for very low concentrations.
Running production under defined, repeatable conditions to narrow variation.
The proportion of a sample that consists of the intended component.
R
Returning a lyophilized material to solution by adding an appropriate solvent.
The organized set of documents and logs in which laboratory activity is captured.
A well-characterized material of known identity used as a comparison point.
Held at a controlled cool temperature, typically 2-8 degrees Celsius.
The ability to obtain consistent results when work is repeated.
A substance supplied for laboratory research, not for human or veterinary use.
A designation indicating a material is intended solely for laboratory research.
The time a component takes to pass through a chromatographic system.
S
Documented information on the hazards of a material and how to handle it safely.
How well a material holds its specifications under the conditions it meets in transit.
The predefined acceptance criterion a test result is judged against.
The material inside a chromatographic column that components interact with.
The absence of viable microorganisms in a material, per a defined test.
The direct transition of a solid to a gas without becoming a liquid.
T
Repeated movement between temperature ranges, which can stress some materials.
Transport that holds a defined temperature range from origin to destination.
Analysis by a laboratory independent of the maker or seller.
The permitted deviation from a stated value before a result falls outside specification.
Unintended material present at very low concentration, reported in units such as ppm or ppb.
The ability to link a batch to its production conditions, testing, and documentation.
Publishing the documentation behind a statement so it can be checked independently.
U
Ultraviolet light; electromagnetic radiation just beyond the visible violet range.
V
Controlled airflow that removes airborne contaminants from a work area.
A microorganism capable of reproducing under suitable conditions.
A small closed container holding a single quantity of material.