How to actually read an HPLC purity report

Excellent breakdown. To reinforce step 5: purity answers "how much of this is the compound," identity (mass spec) answers "is this the compound at all." You need both. A 99% area-percent peak of the wrong molecule is still the wrong molecule.

One practical add: glance at the peak shape, not just the number. A clean, symmetric main peak with flat baseline tells a different story than a high number sitting on a noisy, drifting baseline.

This finally made area percent make sense to me. The "purity high but identity unproven" trap is exactly the thing I'd have fallen into. Bookmarked.

And check the wavelength in the method. Reading purity off a detection wavelength that doesn't suit the compound can flatter or punish the number. Method block first, always.

Came here from the area-percent thread — this is the clearest explanation of a COA I've found anywhere. The "purity high but identity unproven" trap finally makes sense. Thank you for writing it.

This thread does a lot of quiet heavy-lifting for new members — keeping it near the top on purpose. If you're new and reading this: the method block (column, mobile phase, wavelength) is the part people skip and shouldn't.