Skip to Content
Merck

95144

Retinol

BioXtra, ≥97.5% (HPLC), ~3100 U/mg

Synonym(s):

Axerophthol, Vitamin A, Vitamin A alcohol, Vitamin A1, all-trans-3,7-Dimethyl-9-(2,6,6-trimethyl-1-cyclohexen-1-yl)-2,4,6,8-nonatetraen-1-ol

Sign In to View Organizational & Contract Pricing.

Select a Size

250 MG

€150.00

1 G

€460.00

€150.00


Estimated to ship on17 February 2026Details


Request a Bulk Order

About This Item

Empirical Formula (Hill Notation):
C20H30O
CAS Number:
Molecular Weight:
286.45
NACRES:
NA.28
PubChem Substance ID:
eCl@ss:
34058018
UNSPSC Code:
12352205
EC Number:
200-683-7
MDL number:
Beilstein/REAXYS Number:
403040

Skip To

Technical Service
Need help? Our team of experienced scientists is here for you.
Let Us Assist

Product Name

Retinol, BioXtra, ≥97.5% (HPLC), ~3100 U/mg

InChI key

FPIPGXGPPPQFEQ-OVSJKPMPSA-N

InChI

1S/C20H30O/c1-16(8-6-9-17(2)13-15-21)11-12-19-18(3)10-7-14-20(19,4)5/h6,8-9,11-13,21H,7,10,14-15H2,1-5H3/b9-6+,12-11+,16-8+,17-13+

SMILES string

CC1(C)C(/C=C/C(C)=C/C=C/C(C)=C/CO)=C(C)CCC1

biological source

synthetic

product line

BioXtra

assay

≥97.5% (HPLC)

form

(Powder or Powder with Lumps)

specific activity

~3100 U/mg

shelf life

limited shelf life

color

faint yellow to very dark yellow

mp

56-61 °C
61-63 °C (lit.)

shipped in

dry ice

storage temp.

−20°C

Quality Level

Looking for similar products? Visit Product Comparison Guide

Compare Similar Items

View Full Comparison

Show Differences

1 of 4

This Item
17772R7632R2625
assay

≥97.5% (HPLC)

assay

≥95.0% (HPLC)

assay

≥95% (HPLC)

assay

≥98% (HPLC)

biological source

synthetic

biological source

synthetic

biological source

synthetic

biological source

synthetic (organic)

form

(Powder or Powder with Lumps)

form

(Powder or Crystal with Lumps)

form

(Powder or Powder with Lumps)

form

powder

storage temp.

−20°C

storage temp.

−20°C

storage temp.

−20°C

storage temp.

−20°C

Quality Level

200

Quality Level

100

Quality Level

200

Quality Level

200

shipped in

dry ice

shipped in

dry ice

shipped in

dry ice

shipped in

-

Application

Retinol has been used:
  • as a standard in peak identification and quantification in reverse phase HPLC[1]
  • as a standard to estimate the concentration of vitamin A[2]
  • to study the inhibitory effect of retinol on murine norovirus (MNV) replication in murine RAW 264.7 cells[3]
  • as a component in the reaction mixture for the lecithin:retinol acyltransferase (LRAT) assay[4]

Biochem/physiol Actions

It is not biologically active and works as a precursor of active retinoids. Retinol is converted to retinaldehyde and subsequently to retinoic acid.[5]
Retinal, retinol and retinoic acid are the aldehyde, alcohol and acid forms of vitamin A. The retinoids exist as many geometric isomers due to the unsaturated bonds in the aliphatic chain.
Retinol is biological active in a wide range of processes.

General description

Retinol or vitamin A alcohol is the main circulating form of vitamin A.[5]

Other Notes

1 U corresponds to 1 international U acc. to Ph Eur II, 217 (1983)

Packaging

Bottomless glass bottle. Contents are inside inserted fused cone.

pictograms

Health hazardExclamation mark

signalword

Danger

Hazard Classifications

Aquatic Chronic 4 - Eye Irrit. 2 - Repr. 1B - Skin Sens. 1

Storage Class

6.1C - Combustible acute toxic Cat.3 / toxic compounds or compounds which causing chronic effects

wgk

WGK 1

ppe

dust mask type N95 (US), Eyeshields, Gloves


Choose from one of the most recent versions:

Certificates of Analysis (COA)

Lot/Batch Number

Don't see the Right Version?

If you require a particular version, you can look up a specific certificate by the Lot or Batch number.

Already Own This Product?

Find documentation for the products that you have recently purchased in the Document Library.

Visit the Document Library

Heetae Lee et al.
Scientific reports, 6, 25835-25835 (2016-05-18)
The effect and underlying mechanism of vitamin A on norovirus infection are largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate how vitamin A administration affects the gut microbiome after norovirus infection. Here, we demonstrate that treatment with either retinol or retinoic
Responses of blood metabolites and proteins to different vitamin A levels in Korean native steers.
Wang T, et al.
Pakistan journal of botany, 34(4) (2014)
Retinyl palmitate does not have an adjuvant effect on the antibody response of chicks to keyhole limpet hemocyanin regardless of vitamin A status
Livingston KA and Klasing KC
Poultry Science, 90(5), 965-970 (2011)
Antiviral effect of vitamin A on norovirus infection via modulation of the gut microbiome
Lee H and Ko G
Scientific reports, 25835-25835 (2016)
Understanding the physiological role of retinol-binding protein in vitamin A metabolism using transgenic and knockout mouse models
Quadro L, et al.
Molecular Aspects of Medicine, 24(6), 421-430 (2003)

Protocols

Separation of δ-Tocopherol, analytical standard; Retinyl acetate; (+)-γ-Tocopherol; α-Tocopherol, ≥95.5%; Retinol; Vitamin A (acetate), meets USP testing specifications.

Related Content

Questions

1–3 of 3 Questions  
  1. How can I determine the shelf life / expiration / retest date of this product?

    1 answer
    1. If this product has an expiration or retest date, it will be shown on the Certificate of Analysis (COA, CofA). If there is no retest or expiration date listed on the product's COA, we do not have suitable stability data to determine a shelf life. For these products, the only date on the COA will be the release date; a retest, expiration, or use-by-date will not be displayed.
      For all products, we recommend handling per defined conditions as printed in our product literature and website product descriptions. We recommend that products should be routinely inspected by customers to ensure they perform as expected.
      For products without retest or expiration dates, our standard warranty of 1 year from the date of shipment is applicable.
      For more information, please refer to the Product Dating Information document: https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/deepweb/assets/sigmaaldrich/marketing/global/documents/418/501/product-dating-information-06-25-mk.pdf

      Helpful?

  2. Bonjour, je souhaiterais acheter du Retinol (CAS : 68-26-8) afin de réaliser une courbe de calibration pour une méthode d'analyse LC-MS/MS. Il me faudrait donc le plus pur possible. Je souhaiterais savoir ce que signifie 3000 U/mg ?

    1 answer
    1. One unit (the USP unit is the same as the International Unit) of vitamin A is equal to 0.3 micrograms of the pure all-trans isomer of retinol, which is equivalent to 0.344 micrograms of all-trans retinyl acetate. This product is ≥97.5% pure by HPLC. More information and references can be found in the data sheet: https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/deepweb/assets/sigmaaldrich/product/documents/740/736/95144dat.pdf

      Helpful?

  3. How is shipping temperature determined? And how is it related to the product storage temperature?

    1 answer
    1. Products may be shipped at a different temperature than the recommended long-term storage temperature. If the product quality is sensitive to short-term exposure to conditions other than the recommended long-term storage, it will be shipped on wet or dry-ice. If the product quality is NOT affected by short-term exposure to conditions other than the recommended long-term storage, it will be shipped at ambient temperature. As shipping routes are configured for minimum transit times, shipping at ambient temperature helps control shipping costs for our customers. For more information, please refer to the Storage and Transport Conditions document: https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/deepweb/assets/sigmaaldrich/marketing/global/documents/316/622/storage-transport-conditions-mk.pdf

      Helpful?

Reviews

No rating value

Active Filters

Our team of scientists has experience in all areas of research including Life Science, Material Science, Chemical Synthesis, Chromatography, Analytical and many others.

Contact Technical Service