Calibration of HPLC

[vishall79]

why caffine is used for calibration?

[Mark Tracy]

I assume you mean for calibration of detectors and pumps. Caffeine is cheap, available in excellent purity, has low toxicity, is water soluble, is a strong UV absorber with a sharp spectral peak, and you can ship it anywhere in the world without hazmat charges. Oh, yes, it works too.

[Russ]

We had a problem with one of our method transfers to China and were told that caffeine is regulated there and is not readily available. Don't know if that is true or a cover story.

[JS]

Oddly enough, it does seem to be:

http://english.people.com.cn/english/20 ... 67292.html

The article is from 2001, so times may have changed since.

[max_planck]

Just out of interest what is the cost of a set of caffeine standards compared to for example nicotinic acid?