Validating a calculator against hand arithmetic

Validating a calculator against hand arithmetic Writing it up because I had to work it out twice and would rather nobody else did.

Working through the identity arithmetic and I would like it checked.

retatrutide has a monoisotopic mass close to 4731.3 Da. On an electrospray instrument I would expect to see the multiply charged series rather than the intact singly charged ion, so for the doubly charged species I calculate (4731.3 + 2 x 1.00728) / 2, and for the triply charged the analogous expression.

The observed values in the report sit within a few ppm of those. My question is what that actually establishes, because I have seen people treat a mass match as a purity result and I do not think it is one.

the opening post is right about the mechanism and I think understates the practical bit.

Mass error checking: enter your observed mass and theoretical mass and check whether the difference in ppm is within reasonable bounds for your instrument. Useful sanity check on LC-MS results.

Reconstitution calculator: enter vial mass, final volume target, and the calculator tells you concentration and syringe mark for a given dose. Useful for double-checking arithmetic when you are doing it by hand.

Dose equivalence calculator: compounds have different potencies. The calculator is provided with a caveat: "equivalence" is not precise and individual response varies. It is a rough starting point, not a dose prescription.

Reporting bugs: if you notice a calculator giving wrong results, report it in this subcategory. Bugs are fixed when identified.

post #5 answers the question as asked. The question underneath it is different.

Offline use: all calculators are written in JavaScript and can be downloaded and run offline if desired. They do not require internet connectivity to function.

Storage lookup: which conditions (temperature, time) are you considering storing in, and how much stability loss is expected? The calculator gives a rough estimate based on typical stability data. Not a substitute for your compound's specific stability data.

Thank you for the correction. I have edited my earlier post with a note rather than silently, so the thread still makes sense to read. The error was mine and it was the kind that comes from remembering a figure instead of looking it up.

Precision and significant figures: the calculators do not round to match your input precision. If you input values to one decimal place, the output might have more. Use significant figures appropriate to your input precision.

Units: all calculators explicitly require units to be stated. This prevents the decimal-point errors that come from forgetting units. Always verify units in and out.

Practical note that does not fit anywhere else. Whatever you conclude from this topic, write down what you did and when. The single most useful thing in your own records is not any individual result; it is that they are dated and consecutive.

Picking up post #10: that is the part I would want checked first.

The calculators maintained on this site are open-source and verifiable. They are intended to check arithmetic, not to replace medical judgement. Using them is optional and they are provided for convenience.

Coming back to post #12, because the follow-up matters more than the original answer.

Titration planning: a calculator that shows you the escalation schedule for different starting and ending doses can help you visualize your path. Actual path might be slower or adjusted for tolerability.