Weighing according to the European Pharmacopoeia: general considerations and new general chapter 2.1.7. Balances for analytical purposes.

Weighing is a key activity in every quality control laboratory as it is one of the first steps in the preparation of samples and reagents for most analytical procedures. It is also critical because weighing errors will add up and propagate throughout the whole analysis, affecting the accuracy and precision of the reported results. A new general chapter, Balances for analytical purposes (2.1.7), has recently been published in the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.). This new text sets out clear requirements for an instrument that is essential to every analytical procedure described within the pages of the Ph. Eur. This article explains in detail these requirements and generally reviews the other quantity-related requirements present in Ph. Eur. texts.