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Peptide Research Glossary

Essential terminology for understanding peptide stability, storage, and reconstitution science.

Bacteriostatic Water (BAC)
Sterile water containing 0.9% benzyl alcohol. It is used to reconstitute peptides to inhibit bacterial growth and provide a longer shelf life compared to sterile water.
Deamidation
A chemical reaction in which an amide functional group in the side chain of the amino acids asparagine or glutamine is removed or converted to another functional group, a common path for peptide degradation.
Half-Life
The time required for the concentration of a peptide in a solution (or in the body) to decrease by half. Biological half-life refers to the body, while shelf-life refers to storage.
Hydrolysis
The chemical breakdown of a compound due to reaction with water. In peptides, this refers to the breaking of the amide bonds that hold amino acids together.
Lyophilization
The process of freeze-drying. Peptides are typically stored as lyophilized powder to maximize their stability and shelf life before research begins.
Peptide Bond
The covalent chemical bond linking two consecutive amino acid monomers along a peptide or protein chain.
Potency
The strength or efficacy of a peptide compound. In our calculator, potency refers to the percentage of the original molecular structure that remains intact.
Reconstitution
The process of adding a liquid solvent (like Bacteriostatic Water) to a lyophilized peptide powder to create a solution for research.

Missing a term?

This glossary is continuously updated by the PeptideClock research team. If there's a term you'd like to see defined here, feel free to reach out to our research community.