Frequently Asked Questions: Reference Standards

Frequently, our customers request unique lists of compounds, solvent systems, and/or concentrations that are not stocked as catalog products. To request such a material, fill out the “Custom Reference Materials Request Form” and submit the completed form to the Restek Reference Standards team. The team will evaluate solution feasibility and pricing, assign a quote number, and deliver the finished quotation to you, typically within 24 hours. When you call with your quote number, we will create a custom catalog number and prepare the formulation.

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Visit this page to look up Certificates of Analysis (CoA), Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), and Data packs for most Restek products, stock or custom. For stock products, you can also use the search tool, found in the upper-left area of every page. Enter the catalog number to search.

If you cannot find a particular CoA, MSDS, or Data pack please contact the Reference Standards team at ARMTechGroup@restek.com.

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The data pack is designed to provide an exhaustive compendium of data describing the reference standard. As a minimum, the following data sets make up the data pack:

• Raw materials testing data
• Chemical Standard Lot Sheet showing the lot number, purity, and exact gravimetric weight of each analyte, and the volume of solvent used in formulating the product
• Chromatogram(s) showing elution order and relative peak sizes
• Data analysis spreadsheet, based on the chromatogram(s)
• Certificate of Analysis (CoA)

To obtain a data pack, visit this page.

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Empty cylinders must be returned to the manufacturer: Spectra/Linde Gases, Inc. or Scott/Air Liquide Specialty Gases. The cylinders include mailing labels for this purpose, and the label must be used when returning an empty cylinder. If you have lost the label, or never received one, contact Spectra/Linde Gases at 877-395-0128 or Scott/Air Liquide Specialty Gases at 800-331-4953.

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The gases are available separately as 502.2 Calibration Mix #1 (six gases) due to their short shelf life relative to the liquid components. Once an ampul containing the 502.2 gases is opened, the certified gas component concentrations are valid only for approximately 5 days. In contrast, an ampul of 502.2 MegaMix^® (54 component mixture), opened and stored properly, can be used for at least 30 days.

Note that for convenience we offer a 502.2 MegaMix^® (cat.# 30603) that includes the gases.

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Re-certification is available for gas standards. Gas standards can be expensive, and tend to be stored for months, if not years, in the lab, so it is wise to have the composition re-certified by a qualified vendor. For gas standards purchased from Restek, request re-certification directly from Spectra/Linde Gases, Inc. (800-932-0624) or Scott/Air Liquide Specialty Gases (800-331-4953). For gas standards purchased from vendors other than Restek, it is necessary to contact the vendor who manufactured the mixture.

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We offer five regulators for our gas standards. Capabilities and applications are summarized in the table below:

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The most common problem is the absence of a pressure reading at the regulator. To check your regulator, remove it from the cylinder and connect it to a cylinder that you are sure has pressure. If the regulator registers a reading on the “good” cylinder, it is likely the cylinder in question is empty. If the regulator does not register a reading on the “good” cylinder, the regulator must be repaired or replaced.

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