Glossary
Aliquot
An aliquot is a measured share taken from a stock solution. Learn why dividing a reconstituted peptide into single-use portions keeps the entire lot safe.
The term aliquot describes a defined volume taken from a larger stock that is uniform throughout. With peptides it normally refers to moving a reconstituted solution out of the supplier’s vial into a set of smaller sterile vials, each sized to what one experiment actually needs.
Why labs split their stocks
Splitting tackles two separate hazards in one step. Hazard one is freeze–thaw stress: every pass through freezing and thawing pushes solutes together at the ice front and exposes new air–water surfaces, and both effects encourage aggregation. With aliquots, the stock is frozen a single time and every portion is thawed just once. Hazard two is contamination: each time a needle pierces a stopper, microbes can get in and the stopper can core, so drawing ten times from a single vial adds up to more risk than drawing once from each of ten vials.
Good technique means swirling the stock gently before dividing it so that every portion is genuinely representative, leaving some headspace because liquid expands as it freezes, and marking each vial with the peptide name, concentration, lot number and date. Work with sterile empty vials and vial labels; step-by-step instructions are in the aliquoting guide and the storage guide.
Related terms
stability · cold chain · reconstitution