Catalogue / GHK-Cu
GHK-Cu
Also written as Copper peptide, Gly-His-Lys copper complex.
A tripeptide copper complex where the metal is coordinated by the histidine imidazole and the N-terminal amine, not merely mixed in.
| Molecular formula | C14H22CuN6O4 |
| Average mass | 401.91 Da |
| Monoisotopic mass | 401.0999 Da |
| Residues | 3 |
| Termini | C-terminal free acid, copper coordinated |
| Class | Cosmetic active peptides |
| Determination | Peptide analysis, catalogue compound |
| Price | 341 USD |
Computed at build time from the composition shown on this page, not transcribed from a supplier datasheet.
GHK-Cu has an average molecular weight of 401.91 daltons and a monoisotopic mass of 401.0999 daltons. Identity is confirmed by matching the measured deconvoluted mass to that figure, and purity is reported separately by reversed-phase chromatography at 214 nm. The two numbers answer different questions and neither substitutes for the other.
| One letter | GHK |
| Three letter | Gly-His-Lys |
| Modifications | C-terminal free acid, copper coordinated |
The formula and both masses in the table above are derived from this sequence and these terminal modifications. A reader who believes a figure is wrong can check the composition rather than take the number on trust, which is the point of publishing it this way.
A sequence is not an identity result. It is the expected composition against which a measured mass is compared, and the comparison is what appears on the certificate.
| Charge | m/z |
|---|---|
| [M+1H]+ | 402.107 |
| [M+2H]2+ | 201.557 |
These are the ions an electrospray source is expected to produce for a neutral mass of 401.0999 daltons, computed from the monoisotopic mass and the proton mass. They are what a raw spectrum should show before deconvolution.
A report that gives only a deconvoluted mass without the charge states it was derived from cannot be checked. Deconvolution is a calculation, and a calculation whose inputs are not shown is an assertion.
| The complexed and uncomplexed forms differ by 61 daltons. Material sold as GHK-Cu that is a physical mixture of GHK and a copper salt gives a different result from a true complex. |
| Copper content should be quantified separately by ICP-MS and compared to the stoichiometry implied by the peptide content. A mismatch is the clearest evidence of a mixture. |
| The copper complex has a distinctive blue colour and absorbs in the visible region; a colourless preparation sold under this name has not been complexed. |
Every compound fails in its own way. A generic peptide method applied without regard to these specifics produces a number that looks like a result and is not one.
Supplied as raw actives or already formulated into an emulsion. In a finished cosmetic the matrix, not the peptide, decides whether the determination works.
LC-MS or HPLC-UV against a certified reference standard with matrix-matched calibration and spike recovery, because emulsifiers and pigments co-extract and suppress ionisation.
Where the delivered milligram figure matters rather than the percentage, net peptide content by combustion analysis and water by Karl Fischer are added, and the certificate carries a closed mass balance instead of a single purity number.
| LC-MS identity | Measured mass |
| RP-HPLC purity | Area at 214 nm |
| Net peptide content | Milligrams |
| Water content | Karl Fischer |
| Counter-ion | Ion chromatography |
| Bacterial endotoxins | USP <85> |
What is the molecular weight of GHK-Cu?
The average molecular weight is 401.91 daltons and the monoisotopic mass is 401.0999 daltons, computed from the sequence GHK shown on this page. Both figures are calculated rather than transcribed, so they can be checked against the stated composition.
How is GHK-Cu tested for purity and identity?
LC-MS or HPLC-UV against a certified reference standard with matrix-matched calibration and spike recovery, because emulsifiers and pigments co-extract and suppress ionisation. Purity describes the chromatographable fraction only and is not the same quantity as the peptide mass delivered per vial.
What goes wrong when GHK-Cu is analysed?
The complexed and uncomplexed forms differ by 61 daltons. Material sold as GHK-Cu that is a physical mixture of GHK and a copper salt gives a different result from a true complex.
What does GHK-Cu analysis cost at ANALYTON?
Peptide analysis, catalogue compound is priced at 341 US dollars, covering the determinations described on this page. Content, safety and elemental determinations are ordered alongside and are priced separately on the price list.
Other compounds in this class
Updated 2026-09-01. Masses computed at build, not transcribed.