Chemical grades
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There are many different grades, also know as purities of chemicals. Chemical purity is important in many applications, especially in analytical chemistry, but most procedures carried out by amateur chemists don't require a specific purity of reagent.
Contents
Common reagent grades by locality
United States
- ACS Reagent: A reagent that meets or exceeds the specification of the American Chemical Society. ACS reagents are high quality chemicals for lab use. A certificate of analysis or (COA) can be provided by the manufacturer.
- Guaranteed Reagent (GR): A reagent that usually meets ACS specifications and is meant for analytical chemistry.
- AR: A reagent that is suitable for laboratory use.
- Reagent: The highest available purity for a reagent that the American Chemical Society does not have specifications for.
- Purified: A chemical of good quality, this is fine for amateur chemistry.
- Lab Grade: A reagent suitable for general lab applications.
- USP: Meets standards set by the United States Pharmacopeia.
- FCC: Chemicals that meet the standards set by the Food Chemical Codex, FCC reagents are food grade.
- Technical: Reagents that have not been analyzed or are industrial grade. These may or may not have significant contaminants.
Poland
- Cz.: Reagent for general lab usage.
- Cz.d.a: Reagent for analysis.
Ex-USSR (modern Russia and many other post-Soviet states)
- Tech (technical grade): the lowest grade. The concentration of the reagent is no lower than 70%.
- Ch (pure): the concentration of the reagent is no lower than 98%.
- Ch.d.a. (pure for analysis): concentration of the reagent is not specified, but it is guaranteed that impurities will not get in the way of reactions. Equivalent to Guaranteed Reagent.
- Kh. Ch. (chemically pure): concentration of the reagent is no lower than 99%. This is the highest grade commonly used.
- O.S.Ch. (special grade of purity): concentration of the reagent is so close to 100% that it is not possible to detect any contaminants.
- Pisch. (food grade) or Med. (medical grade): safe to consume with food or medicinal drugs.
Note: Some things may have no grade, or be mixtures, and thus are 'general use' grade, or 'consumer grade'.
