Appendix I E. Chemical and Biological Reference Materials

Where the letters BPCRS appear after the name of a substance in a test or assay, the British Pharmacopoeia Chemical Reference Substance is to be used. A comprehensive and up-to-date list of British Pharmacopoeia Chemical Reference Substances, together with terms of trade and supply, is available on the website at www.bpclab.co.uk. A printed catalogue and the substances are obtainable from the BPCRS Sales Office, Market Towers, 1 Nine Elms Lane, London SW8  5NQ, United Kingdom (telephone  +44 (0)20  7084  2561, facsimile  +44  (0)20 7084 2566, e-mail:  bpcrs@mhra.gsi.gov.uk).

In addition to BPCRS, monographs of the British Pharmacopoeia may also refer to reference substances available from other suppliers. These are denoted by the letters CRS.

Where the letters CRS or EPCRS appear, the chemical reference substance issued by the European Pharmacopoeia Commission is to be used; where the letters BRP or EPBRP appear, the Biological Reference Preparation issued by the European Pharmacopoeia Commission is to be used. A printed catalogue and the substances, as well as European Pharmacopoeia infrared reference spectra, are obtainable from the Council of Europe, European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & Healthcare, CRS Sales Team, 7 allée Kastner, CS 30026, F-67081, Strasbourg Cedex, France (facsimile  +33  (0)3  88  41  27  71, e-mail:  crs@pheur.org).

Other sources of specific reference substances are shown below.

Astragaloside I CRS , Astragaloside II CRS , Astragaloside IV CRS , Paeonol CRS , Rosmarinic acid CRS , Salvianolic Acid B CRS , Tanshinone II _A CRS , Withaferin A CRS , Withanolide A CRS , Withanolide B CRS , Z-Ligustilide CRS may be obtained from the Office of Reference Materials, LGC Standards, Queen's Road, Teddington, TW11  0LY, United Kingdom (telephone  +44  (0)20  8943  8480, facsimile  +44  (0)20  8943  7554, e-mail:  uksales@lgcstandards.com).

Opacity, Standard Preparation of The Standard Preparation is the 5th International Reference Preparation, established in 1975, and consists of a rod of plastic simulating the optical properties of a bacterial suspension (10 Units of opacity). It may be obtained from the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC), Blanche Lane, South Mimms, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, EN6  3QG, United Kingdom (telephone  +44  (0)1707  641000, e-mail:  enquiries@nibsc.ac.uk).

Piperonyl Butoxide CRS may be obtained from the Office of Reference Materials, LGC Promochem, Queen's Road, Teddington, TW11  0LY, United Kingdom (telephone  +44  (0)20  8943  8480, facsimile  +44  (0)20  8943  7554, e-mail:  uksales@lgcpromochem.com).