Bacteriostatic water 10ml
£5.99 per vial · Lab supplies · Research use only
About Bacteriostatic Water 10ml
Bacteriostatic Water 10ml is water with 0.9% benzyl alcohol, supplied as a liquid in a single vial for in-vitro laboratory preparation work.
Product specifications
- Compound
- Bacteriostatic Water
- Declared content
- 10ml per vial
- Format
- Liquid solution
Batch documentation
A certificate of analysis is not currently published for this listing. Contact us for the available batch documentation before ordering.
Ask about batch documentation →
Intended use
For in-vitro laboratory research only. Not for human or veterinary use.
Technical notes and further reading
Specification
| SKU | BA10 |
|---|---|
| Compound | Bac. Water |
| Price | £5.99 per vial |
| Format | 10ml per vial |
| Availability | In stock |
| Published batch / lot | No published record — contact us before ordering |
| Reported purity | See the material's batch documentation |
| Identity status | LC-MS identity result not published |
| Storage | Confirm with batch record |
| Intended use | In-vitro laboratory research only |
What does the research on Bacteriostatic water investigate?
Bacteriostatic water is the solvent that most of the lyophilised powders in this catalogue are dissolved in before they can be worked with, and its composition is simple: water with 0.9% benzyl alcohol. The benzyl alcohol is a preservative, and the word bacteriostatic is precise - it means it stops bacteria multiplying rather than killing them. That property is what makes a multi-draw vial practical, because each time a septum is punctured the contents are exposed, and without a preservative that exposure accumulates. Two practical consequences follow. A solvent that cannot tolerate benzyl alcohol needs a different choice, since the preservative is present and cannot be separated from the water. And benzyl alcohol absorbs ultraviolet light in the region used by many chromatographic detectors, so it can produce a peak of its own in a chromatogram if the solvent is not accounted for. Nothing here describes a use, benefit, dose or effect in people.
Is Bacteriostatic water legal in the UK?
Bacteriostatic water is not a licensed medicine in the United Kingdom and is not listed in any schedule of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Selling it as a research chemical is a lawful trade; what the law restricts is the purpose it is sold for, not the fact that it is sold.
Three pieces of legislation frame that distinction. The Human Medicines Regulations 2012 make it an offence to sell an unlicensed product for human use. The Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 prohibits supplying a psychoactive substance for human consumption, which is why a research-only basis is not a formality. The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 would apply only if the compound were scheduled, and it is not. Each of these turns on the purpose of the supply, so the statements on this page are written plainly rather than tucked into small print.
In practice that means a supplier may lawfully sell to a researcher, research organisation or business buying for research, and the buyer confirms at checkout that they are 18 or over, buying in the course of research, and responsible for handling, storing and disposing of the material lawfully. Nothing here is legal advice for your own circumstances; if you need a position, take qualified advice.
Bacteriostatic water is laboratory solvent, not a preparation for administration, and it is supplied on the same research-only basis as every other product here.
How are identity and quality assured?
Each released lot is tested and the result is published, rather than the material being described as high purity on the strength of a supplier's word. Purity is measured by reversed-phase HPLC at an independent laboratory. The laboratory used for every lot published so far is Janoshik Analytical, in the Czech Republic, and the result is stated alongside the measured content against label so the two can be read together.
The report carries the lot number printed on the vial, which is the part that matters. A certificate showing a result without a lot number cannot be tied to the vial in front of you, and a certificate for a different lot tells you nothing about yours. Matching the printed number on the label to the number on the report is a five second check and it is the whole point of publishing both.
Identity confirmation by mass spectrometry is a separate test and is ordered as an add-on, so the figures published here come from RP-HPLC purity testing unless a report says otherwise. Where no report is published for a listing yet, the documentation held for the lot being shipped can be requested before you order. We would rather send you what exists than let you assume a certificate is available when it is not.
Synthesis and supply
Bacteriostatic water is supplied in solution rather than as a powder, so it does not require a solvent to be added before use. It is filled and sealed in a single vial and labelled with the lot number that the published report refers to. Solution formats are sensitive to temperature and light, so the storage note on this page applies from the moment the vial arrives.
External resources for researchers
These are the public reference sources we use when checking the identity of Bacteriostatic water, and the ones worth going to before relying on anything stated on a product page, including this one.
- PubChem — Compound records, computed properties, depositor-supplied identity data.
- CAS Common Chemistry — CAS Registry lookups where a registry number is known.
- ChEBI — Curated chemical ontology entries with cross-references.
- Europe PMC — Primary literature search by compound name, sequence or registry number.
- Certificate hub — Reports published for the lots released so far.
Frequently asked questions
What makes the water bacteriostatic?
Benzyl alcohol at 0.9% w/v. It inhibits bacterial growth rather than killing an existing population — the distinction between a bacteriostatic and a bactericidal agent — which is why the term describes the preservative rather than the water.
How does it differ from plain sterile or purified water?
Those carry no preservative. A sterile water vial is protected only while its seal is intact; once opened there is nothing in the liquid to inhibit growth. The benzyl alcohol here provides that inhibition, and it is the only functional difference between the two reagents.
Is benzyl alcohol compatible with any experimental system?
Not universally. It is cytotoxic to cultured cells at concentrations well under 0.9% and can interfere with assays sensitive to organic solvents. Whether a preserved diluent suits a given protocol is a question for that protocol; Index Peptides supplies the reagent and does not advise on its selection.
Is Bac. Water supplied for human or veterinary use?
No. Every product on this site is supplied strictly for in-vitro laboratory research. Bac. Water is supplied as a liquid solution in a sealed vial and is not a medicine, supplement, food, cosmetic or veterinary product. It is not supplied for human or animal consumption, administration, or any in-vivo use, and no dose, route or human application is described or offered anywhere on this page. Buyers confirm they are 18 or over and purchasing in the course of research.
How is the purity figure measured, and what does it actually tell me?
Purity is measured by reversed-phase HPLC at an independent laboratory, and the result is published with the method conditions rather than as a bare percentage. The figure is the proportion of the UV-absorbing material in the chromatogram that elutes as the target peak. It describes the sample as analysed; it is not a statement about what the material is for. A high figure alongside a clean chromatogram is the useful combination, which is why the report is worth reading rather than the headline number alone.
What documentation comes with a batch?
Each released lot carries a number printed on the vial label and a report stating purity by RP-HPLC, measured content against label, and the testing laboratory. Reports published so far are listed on this page and collected on the certificate hub, and each carries a lot number that can be checked against the vial in front of you. Where a report is not yet published for a listing, ask before ordering and we will send the documentation that exists for the lot being shipped.
How should Bac. Water be stored?
In the form supplied, as a liquid solution, the material is stable kept cold, dry and dark. For powder, that means a freezer at around minus 20 degrees Celsius, desiccated, with the vial sealed and shielded from light, which is how it should stay until you are ready to work with it. Bringing a vial to room temperature before opening avoids condensation on the contents. Once in solution the material is less stable than the powder and should be kept cold and used within a short working window. Choosing a solvent and a storage regime for your own work is your call, not ours.
Do I need bacteriostatic water to prepare it?
A lyophilised powder needs a solvent added before it can be worked with. Bacteriostatic water, which is water with 0.9% benzyl alcohol, is the common choice because the preservative extends the working life of the solution once the vial has been opened, and we supply it in 3ml and 10ml vials. It is not the only option: where a method cannot tolerate benzyl alcohol, use the solvent the method specifies. The choice affects the sample, so it belongs to the researcher.
How and when is an order shipped?
Orders are dispatched from the United Kingdom. An order placed before 4pm on a working day is collected the same day; weekends and bank holidays roll forward to the next working day. Delivery is tracked, and shipping is free on UK orders over 30 pounds, with tracked 48 hour service at 3.65 pounds below that. Tracking is sent when the parcel is collected, so the first scan is usually visible the same evening.
What does bacteriostatic actually mean?
That the solution prevents bacteria from multiplying rather than destroying them. Benzyl alcohol at 0.9% does not sterilise anything, and it is not a substitute for sterile technique. Its value is that it holds a contamination event in check once a vial has been opened and reused, which is why it is used for multi-draw work and why a plain sterile water vial has a much shorter useful life once opened.
Why is benzyl alcohol a problem for some methods?
It absorbs ultraviolet light in the wavelength range commonly used by HPLC detectors, so it can appear as a peak in a chromatogram. Where the presence of a preservative matters for an assay or would interfere with detection, it has to be accounted for in the method or a different solvent chosen. This is a property of the solvent rather than a defect in it, but it is a real consideration when the same solution is used for both preparation and analysis.
Can it be used with any peptide powder?
It is the common choice, and for most lyophilised peptides it works well because the material dissolves readily in water and the preservative extends the working life of the solution. Where a method cannot tolerate benzyl alcohol, the solvent the method specifies is the right one to use. The choice belongs to the researcher, because it changes the sample rather than just the container.
How should it be stored?
At room temperature, sealed, protected from light and out of the freezer. Unlike the lyophilised powders listed here, this is a solution and freezing it is not appropriate. Keeping it closed matters more than usual, because the preservative is protecting a multi-draw container and the protection depends on the contents staying as they were supplied.
Documentation & batch verification
Published batch records show the laboratory, report date, purity and measured content where reported. Check the certificate for the exact lot: an HPLC purity result does not establish LC-MS identity, sterility or suitability for human or animal use. Review the published batch record before ordering.
Order Bac. Water 10ml online — UK dispatch · Request an invoice · Verify a batch
Research use only. Not for human or animal consumption.