Catalogue / AHK-Cu
AHK-Cu
Also written as Ala-His-Lys copper, Copper tripeptide-3.
A tripeptide copper complex closely related to GHK-Cu, differing only in the first residue, alanine in place of glycine.
| Molecular formula | C15H24ClCuN6O4 |
| Average mass | 451.39 Da |
| Monoisotopic mass | 450.0844 Da |
| Written as | Ala-His-Lys copper complex, chloride salt |
| 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.
AHK-Cu has an average molecular weight of 451.39 daltons and a monoisotopic mass of 450.0844 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.
| Written sequence | Ala-His-Lys copper complex, chloride salt |
| Molecular formula | C15H24ClCuN6O4 |
This compound contains residues outside the standard twenty, so a theoretical mass cannot be derived from a one-letter sequence. The masses above are computed from the molecular formula instead.
This is not a technicality. A laboratory that computes an expected mass from a sequence lookup will get the wrong number for this compound, and will then either report a false mismatch or adjust the expectation to fit the measurement.
| Charge | m/z |
|---|---|
| [M+1H]+ | 451.092 |
| [M+2H]2+ | 226.049 |
These are the ions an electrospray source is expected to produce for a neutral mass of 450.0844 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.
| AHK-Cu and GHK-Cu differ by fourteen daltons, one methyl group. That gap is smaller than the isotope envelope of a low resolution measurement, and the two are sold at different prices. |
| The formula published for this compound is a specific chloride salt. Commercial grades vary in counter-ion, so the mass on a supplier datasheet may not be the mass of the material submitted. |
| Copper should be quantified separately by ICP-MS and compared against the stoichiometry implied by the peptide content. A mismatch is the clearest evidence of a physical mixture rather than a true complex. |
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 AHK-Cu?
The average molecular weight is 451.39 daltons and the monoisotopic mass is 450.0844 daltons, computed from the molecular formula C15H24ClCuN6O4 shown on this page. Both figures are calculated rather than transcribed, so they can be checked against the stated composition.
How is AHK-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 AHK-Cu is analysed?
AHK-Cu and GHK-Cu differ by fourteen daltons, one methyl group. That gap is smaller than the isotope envelope of a low resolution measurement, and the two are sold at different prices.
What does AHK-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.