FAQ

Questions about ordering, shipping and payment

Which countries do you deliver to?

We deliver worldwide. In some countries we cooperate with distribution partners. A list of our distribution partners in your country can be found here phyproof® Reference Substances are also available globally through Sigma-Aldrich or related companies. Please visit https://www.sigma-aldrich.com and select your country. To find our products you can search for “PhytoLab”, “phyproof” or our product number with the prefix “PHL” (e.g. our product # 89270 can be found als PHL89270 on https://www.sigma-aldrich.com).

What are the shipping costs?

The shipping costs (including packaging costs) are:

  • Zone 1: Germany € 16.00
  • Zone 2: European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, UK € 26.00
  • Zone 3: Rest of the world € 45.00

Prepaid shipping costs include insured door-to-door delivery by a PhytoLab-selected courier service (Incoterms 2020: DAP). Recipients outside the European Union please be aware that goods may be subject to customs duties, taxes or import restrictions. The buyer is responsible for all import formalities and all customs clearance costs and duties that are due in the importing country, including customs brokerage services supplied by the courier service. All export-related costs are covered by the prepaid shipping charges. More details can be found here.

What are your terms of payment?

Payment is due net within 14 days (national orders) or 30 days (international orders). PhytoLab reserves the right to request payment in advance if deemed necessary for whatever reason.We will inform you about this in our order confirmation at the latest.

Please arrange payments only after you have received an invoice or pro forma invoice with exact payment instructions from us.

Can I pay with credit card or PayPal?

Yes, but please note that payment by credit card or PayPal is unfortunately not possible directly in the webshop. After receipt of your order we will send you an e-mail with all necessary information about PayPal or credit card payment.

I am a new customer, what do I have to consider?

Please enter your complete billing and delivery address incl. contact person and telephone number. For customers within the EU, we also require the VAT identification number for intra-Community, VAT-free delivery. Please note that the billing address must match the registered address of your VAT identification number. After receipt of your order we require 1-2 days for the initial customer set-up in our systems - we ask for your understanding for this delay. Should we require further information from you, our phyproof® reference substance team will contact you.

Why do you need a VAT number from me?

From customers within the European Union we need the sales tax identification number in order to be able to carry out an intra-community, sales tax-free delivery according to §4 No. 1b UStG. If no VAT is provided the applicable value added tax will be added to the invoice.

Do you offer discounts?

We offer quantity discounts from 50 mg according to the following discount scale:

  • from 50 mg: 10 %
  • from 250 mg: 15 %
  • from 500 mg: 20 %
  • from 1000 mg: 25 %

All discounts are calculated with reference to the individual unit size and are only applicable if the substance has not already been pre-portioned. You will find the relevant information on the respective product detail page.

Can I order any quantity? Are there any portioning costs?

You can order our reference substances in any quantity, subject to the minimum order quantity. In addition, we fill any quantity above the defined minimum order quantity free of charge (e.g. 1 x 16 mg or 3 x 35 mg etc.). In some cases, however, our substances are only available in pre-portioned form. You will then find the corresponding information on the respective article detail page.

Do you also offer larger quantities (in the gram or kilogram range)?

Usually the immediately available quantities are in the milligram to gram range, which is in general sufficient for the intended application of the reference substances in quality control. In many cases we can also supply larger quantities - please contact us directly. Please note, however, that our products are intended exclusively for research, scientific teaching and training or for analytical purposes and may not be used for other purposes, in particular not for use in or for the production of food, animal feed, human or veterinary medicinal products, cosmetics, medical devices and diagnostics, including in vitro diagnostics.

I have obtained your standard from Merck/MilliporeSigma, where can I find the certificate of analysis?

Further information, such as the corresponding Certificate of Analysis and the data sheet with the method details can be downloaded directly from the Sigma-Aldrich website (https://www.sigma-aldrich.com). Please enter the batch number (to be found on the label of the vial) under "Certificate of Analysis" on the corresponding product page.

If you have any questions regarding your order, please contact the respective Customer Service directly.

How are refrigerated and frozen products shipped?

We ship refrigerated products under ambient conditions and frozen products in a polystyrene carton with frozen gel packs. No further cooling is required during transport, the stability of the substances is not impaired. Please store the substances after receipt in accordance with the recommended storage conditions. If, for example, the import process takes a long time, we recommend that you ask the courier service to store the substances in a cold storage facility.

Do you also offer standard extracts / mixtures / solutions?

We do not offer standardized extracts or mixtures of reference substances. With a few exceptions, our substances are sold in pure form. We offer a few articles in solution for stability reasons. Other substances are not available as a solution.

Why didn’t all the ordered substances arrive? Why are partial deliveries made?

It may happen that the substance you have ordered is being subjected to a regular quality control or that the ordered quantity is not immediately available. In this case we may make partial deliveries. Subsequent deliveries for the reasons mentioned are always free of shipping costs. If you do not wish a partial delivery, please inform us immediately after receiving our order confirmation.

I need special documents (e.g. for import) for my delivery? Who can I contact?

Please contact us at ref-substances@phytolab.de or use the comment field in our webshop when ordering. We will be happy to help you! Certificates of origin or invoices stamped by the Chamber of Commerce will only be issued upon explicit request and against payment of the associated costs and fees. We will confirm the prices after receipt of your inquiry.

Questions about quality and analytics

What quality do your standards have? Do you also offer secondary standards?

phyproof® reference substances are generally certified as primary reference substances according to the definition of the European Pharmacopoeia, the American Pharmacopoeia and other international institutions. Their identity is confirmed by a combination of analytical techniques such as NMR, MS and IR. In addition, our reference substances are characterized by a defined absolute content, which is based on a mass balance approach considering the chromatographic purity as well as the content of water, residual solvents and inorganic impurities. If necessary, counter ions are also taken into account if the reference substances are present as salt.

Some phyproof® reference substances, which are only available in smaller batches, are identified as comprehensively as our primary reference substances. Their purity is described using a chromatographic method.

Detailed information on the degree of certification can be found on the respective product detail page, where exemplary certificates of analysis are also available for viewing.

We do not offer secondary standards.

How long are your standards stable?

We specify a stability period on the Certificate of Analysis based on our own stability data or structurally derived shelf lives. This period starts from the month in which the certificate was signed and applies to unopened vials stored at the storage temperature recommended by us. We carry out our stability tests at certain intervals on repeatedly opened containers - it can therefore be assumed that the reference substances in unopened containers can be stored even longer than indicated. At the latest after five years we carry out an analytical retest - therefore we do not certify shelf lives of more than 60 months. We recommend using freshly prepared solutions for the analysis.

How long is a solution of your standards stable?

Unfortunately, we do not have stability data for our substances in solution. However, if you would like to store a stock solution for a longer period of time, we recommend checking the quality of the solution at regular intervals.

The shelf life of my standards has expired. Can you extend the shelf life?

We ask for your understanding that we cannot extend the shelf life of reference substances stored elsewhere. We cannot estimate the influence of your individual storage conditions on the quality of the reference substance, therefore a transfer of our analysis data to the container stored by you is not justified from an analytical point of view. At the end of the shelf life period, however, you can check the quality yourself by, for example, repeating the HPLC purity test or the water and residual solvent content test on your container and recalculating the absolute content according to the formula shown on the certificate of analysis. We can also perform such retests on your behalf - please contact us for an individual offer.

The substances were on the road for a long time and possibly the cold chain was not maintained. Can I still use the substances?

The stability of the reference substances is generally not impaired even with a longer shipping time. If, for example, the import process takes a long time, we recommend that you contract the courier service to store the substances in a cold storage facility. If you have any further questions, please contact us.

Do your standards have pharmacopoeia quality (Ph.Eur)?

phyproof® reference substances are generally certified as primary reference substances according to the definition of the European Pharmacopoeia, the American Pharmacopoeia and other international institutions. If the pharmacopoeia has special requirements regarding quality or the scope of analysis, please compare the requirements with the exemplary certificate of analysis of the current batch, which is available for download on the product detail page, before ordering. You are also welcome to contact us directly.

Do you also sell CRS standards?

CRS standards are generally understood as the official reference substances of pharmacopoeias such as EP or USP. These are not available from us - we only sell our own phyproof® reference substances. Our reference substances are basically suitable for use as described in the pharmacopoeia monographs. In addition, you can also use our phyproof® reference substances for all other purposes that are not explicitly described in a pharmacopoeia monograph. This is not possible with the official CRS standards - these may only be used for the purposes explicitly stated in the respective monograph using the method described therein. Thus, the use of CRS standards of the European or United Pharmacopoeia for the quality control of, for example, finished medicinal products or combination preparations is not possible without a suitability test of one’s own.

How do I read your certificates of analysis?

You can download an information sheet here?

What does “<” mean for individual values on the certificate of analysis?

The determined value is below the quantification limit. In this case, the value is not included in the calculation of the absolute content (see also our information sheet.

Which other services are you offering?

In addition to the sale of our phyproof® reference substances, we also offer the preparation of complete primary standard documentation for marketing authorization purposes. Furthermore, we also have the possibility to carry out contract isolation of natural substances and to characterize the obtained substance as a primary standard. Please do not hesitate to contact us!

Where can I find information on solubility?

-Information on solubility can be found on our certificates of analysis or data sheets. These data are based on literature data and empirical values, for example from NMR measurements and HPLC analysis. These solubility data are only a guide and are not to be understood as quantitative solubility data.

Where can I find information about the HPLC or GC method?

For information on our HPLC or GC methods, including an exemplary chromatogram, please refer to the data sheet enclosed with the substance.

Do you provide raw data or spectra?

The raw data for all identity checks mentioned on the certificate of analysis (e.g. IR, UV, NMR, MS, HPLC) are available on request. Simply send us a message: ref-substances@phytolab.de.

Where can I find the exact weight of the reference substance?

We give the exact initial weight to two decimal places. You will find this information on the inner label of the vial. Only the nominal order quantity is indicated on the outer label and the certificate of analysis.

Why do I get a certificate for every order?

For each order of a reference substance you will receive an individual certificate of analysis with your own certificate number. With the help of this certificate number, the certificate of analysis can be uniquely assigned to the respective vials. The certificate number can be found on the label of the vial. This guarantees a complete traceability. We guarantee the shelf life for the indicated time period starting from the date that certificate of analysis was issued.

I received a vial with the reference substance. How do I handle the substance correctly?

You can take out the substance from the vial using a spatula. Depending on the properties of the substance, a certain amount of the substance typically remains in the vial of small containers. Alternatively, you can quantitatively transfer the contents of the vial into a volumetric flask and thus prepare a stock solution of known concentration. The substance should be transferred by repeated rinsing with fresh solvent. This applies especially to hygroscopic or difficult to remove substances (oil, syrup, etc.). The exact initial weight with two decimal places can be found on the inner label directly on the vial.

I have an analytical question. Who can I contact?

Please send us an e-mail with a description of your question and, if applicable, details of the method used to ref-substances@phytolab.de.

Other topics

Can your standards be used for private purposes or applied to humans and animals?

We exclusively supply commercial customers, i.e. companies, authorities, universities or other research institutions. We do not deliver to private individuals. Please note that our products are intended exclusively for use for research, scientific teaching and training purposes or for analytical purposes and may not be used for other purposes, in particular not for use in or for the production of food, animal feed, human and veterinary pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, medical products and diagnostics, including in vitro diagnostics.

Questions about the account / webshop

How do I change my password?

You can change your password by using the “Forgot password” function. Please enter your username or e-mail address in the appropriate field. You will then receive an e-mail with all the necessary information to the e-mail address associated with this user account.

I forgot my password. What can I do?

Your password is known only to you. Please use the “Forgot password” function to reset your password. Please enter your username or e-mail address in the appropriate field. You will then receive an e-mail with all the necessary information to the e-mail address associated with this user account.

How do I delete my account?

To delete your account permanently, please contact us. Inactive accounts will be automatically deleted after 3 years. You will receive a notification from our system one month in advance.