Per vial, USD
| Fill weight | 100+ | 1,000+ | 2,500+ | Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 mg | $19.50 | $16.38 | $15.99 |
Ordering at volume
The catalog lists L-Carnitine without a confirmed fill weight, so the first job of a quote is to fix the nominal mass per vial in writing. Until that figure is on paper, a per-vial number for this line cannot be compared with a peptide line, because the two are built differently. For a small molecule the material itself is a minor part of the vial cost; filling, sealing, labelling and certificate work make up most of it, so a vial holding more costs only a little more than one holding less. The ladder here is set by vial count, not by grams of compound.
L-Carnitine sits in the standard stock band, held on the shelf and dispatched from California in the usual Monday to Friday window, reaching the 100, 1,000 and 2,500 breaks on its own vial count. It is a stable small molecule, and the quote names the lot where one is already assigned. Contract terms apply above 10,000 vials of this one compound.
On a first order ask for three things besides the fill weight. Whether the enantiomer can be documented, since the L- and D-forms share a mass and the catalog panel confirms identity by mass; say at quote if your specification needs more and the desk will say what can be documented. Whether a water content figure is available, because the powder takes up moisture and the assay only means something against the water it carries. And whether desiccant ships in the carton, which matters more here than for any peptide line. A safety data sheet is available on request.
Specification
- Compound
- L-Carnitine
- CAS number
- 541-15-1
- Formula
- C₇H₁₅NO₃
- Molecular weight
- 161.20 g/mol
- PubChem CID
- 2724480
- Form
- Lyophilized powder, sealed vial
- Fill weights
- 200 mg
- Stock depth
- Standard catalog — Stocked in California. Each compound reaches its own tier break.
- Intended use
- Laboratory research only. Not for human or veterinary use.
What the material is
L-Carnitine is not a peptide. It is a small quaternary ammonium compound, the L-, or (R)-, enantiomer of 3-hydroxy-4-(trimethylammonio)butanoate, with the formula C₇H₁₅NO₃ and a molecular weight of 161.20 g/mol. One end of the molecule carries a permanently charged trimethylammonium group and the other a carboxylate, which is why it dissolves so freely in water and so poorly in most organic solvents. Only the L-form is stocked; the D-form shares its formula and mass and differs only at the single stereocentre, so the two are told apart by optical rotation, not by mass.
As supplied it is a white to off-white powder in a sealed vial. Because the material is a small crystalline compound rather than a long peptide, the appearance check differs from the rest of this catalog: what matters is whether the powder is dry and free-moving, not whether a freeze-dried disc has held its shape. L-Carnitine is hygroscopic. Powder that has drawn moisture clumps, then turns glassy or sticky, and a vial arriving with a fused or wet mass instead of loose powder has been breached somewhere between fill and delivery.
Storage and reconstitution
The sealed vial does not need a freezer. Keep it dry and out of direct light at room temperature or refrigerated; −20 °C does no harm, but a cold vial opened in humid air pulls water onto the powder within minutes, so let a chilled vial warm fully before it is opened. Keep any desiccant with the carton and close any opened bulk pack straight away.
Moisture is the whole story for this compound. Dry powder is white and free-moving; exposed powder clumps, then goes glassy, and in a badly stored vial it ends up dissolved in the water it has absorbed. It is weighed out only in a dry environment, and a fused or sticky vial is set aside even if the chemistry is intact, because the mass on the balance no longer matches the mass of compound in it.
L-Carnitine dissolves readily in water to give a clear, colourless solution, is less soluble in ethanol, and is practically insoluble in acetone and ether. Aqueous solutions keep well refrigerated, and the compound tolerates freeze-thaw cycles far better than any peptide in the catalog. Even so, keep solutions sealed and cold; the same hygroscopic behaviour means an open solution drifts from its nominal strength as it takes up or loses water.
Buying questions
Why does the L-Carnitine listing show no fill weight?
Because the fill weight for this line has not been confirmed on the published sheet, and we do not publish a figure we cannot stand behind. The nominal mass per vial is fixed in the written quote, which usually comes back the same business day. Check that the certificate reports the same figure.
Is L-Carnitine a peptide?
No. It is a quaternary ammonium compound derived from an amino acid, with one stereocentre and a molecular weight of 161.20 g/mol. It is listed here because it is stocked beside the peptide catalog and quoted under the same terms, not because it belongs to the same chemical class.
How do I confirm that L-Carnitine is the L-enantiomer and not a racemate?
Ask at quote. The D- and L-forms share a formula and a mass, so the identity-by-mass result on the lot certificate, available through COA requests, does not settle it on its own; state the requirement on the quote request and the desk will say what documentation can be provided for the lot.
Does L-Carnitine pool with the peptides on my order toward a price tier?
No. Tiers are reached line by line, so L-Carnitine reaches its 1,000+ rate only on its own vial count. The order minimum works differently: any mix of lines totalling 100 vials, taken as kits of 10, clears it, and L-Carnitine kits count. The pricing page sets both out.
