How Much Bacteriostatic Water for a Glutathione 600 mg or 1500 mg Vial?
A 600 mg vial of Glutathione reconstituted with 3 mL of bacteriostatic water gives a concentration of 200 mg/mL; the 1500 mg vial with 10 mL gives 150 mg/mL. The calculation depends only on the quantity in the vial and the volume of water added, so the figures below apply to any vial of those sizes.
View product →There is no single correct volume. Adding more water does not change how much is in the vial. It spreads the same quantity through a larger volume, which changes how many syringe units correspond to a given amount. The tables on this page use volumes that produce round numbers on a U-100 syringe; other volumes work identically as long as the resulting concentration is written on the vial.
Concentration by water volume
Concentration is the quantity in the vial divided by the water volume. A 600 mg vial holds 600 mg whether it receives 3 mL or 6 mL; only the mg/mL figure moves. The right-hand column converts each concentration into the number of U-100 units that contain 100 mg.
| Vial | Bacteriostatic water added | Concentration | Units containing 100 mg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 600 mg glutathione | 3 mL | 200 mg/mL | 50 units |
| 600 mg | 4 mL | 150 mg/mL | 66.7 units |
| 600 mg | 5 mL | 120 mg/mL | 83.3 units |
| 600 mg | 6 mL | 100 mg/mL | 100 units |
| 1500 mg glutathione | 6 mL | 250 mg/mL | 40 units |
| 1500 mg | 8 mL | 187.5 mg/mL | 53.3 units |
| 1500 mg | 10 mL | 150 mg/mL | 66.7 units |
Before choosing a larger volume, check that the vial has headspace for it. A 10 mL vial of bacteriostatic water reconstitutes three 600 mg vials at 3 mL each.
Reading the concentration on a U-100 syringe
A U-100 insulin syringe is graduated in units, and 100 units equal 1 mL. Units are therefore millilitres multiplied by 100: 0.1 mL is 10 units and 0.25 mL is 25 units. A 0.5 mL syringe carries 50 units and a 0.3 mL syringe carries 30 units on the same scale, with finer markings that make small volumes easier to read.
To find the volume that contains a given amount, divide the amount by the concentration. At 200 mg/mL (a 600 mg vial with 3 mL of water), the volume that contains 100 mg is 100 divided by 200, which is 0.5 mL, or 50 units. The table below runs the same calculation for four arbitrary amounts. They illustrate the arithmetic and nothing else.
| Amount (illustrative) | Volume at 200 mg/mL | U-100 units |
|---|---|---|
| 20 mg | 0.1 mL | 10 units |
| 50 mg | 0.25 mL | 25 units |
| 100 mg | 0.5 mL | 50 units |
| 150 mg | 0.75 mL | 75 units |
At 150 mg/mL, which the same vial gives with 4 mL of water, every volume in the table moves in proportion: a 100 mg draw measures 66.7 units instead of 50. Volumes below about 0.1 mL are hard to read accurately on a 1 mL syringe. Either move to a 0.3 mL or 0.5 mL syringe, or reconstitute with more water so that the same mass occupies a larger, more legible volume.
Glutathione is supplied by Vistara Labs as a lyophilised material for research use. The quantities on this page illustrate the arithmetic of dilution and measurement only.
The Glutathione vial
Glutathione is a tripeptide of glutamic acid, cysteine and glycine, supplied in 600 mg and 1500 mg vials, by far the largest masses in the catalogue. Both need more water than a 10 mg vial and the powder dissolves more slowly: swirl, then give it time rather than shaking. A faint sulphurous smell from the cysteine is normal for glutathione and is not a sign of a problem. Certificates of analysis for the catalogue are published on the Lab Results page.
Glutathione needs one handling note that no other vial here does. Its cysteine carries a free thiol group, which reacts with oxygen: in solution, reduced glutathione (GSH) slowly oxidises to its disulphide form (GSSG). Keep the reconstituted vial capped, cold and dark, draw from it with minimal air exchange, and date the label so the solution is not kept open-ended. A certificate that states the reduced form is worth checking for. The research behind it is covered in glutathione: the research behind the antioxidant.
Reconstitution technique
Let the vial reach room temperature, swab both stoppers, and run the measured water slowly down the inside wall of the vial rather than onto the powder. Swirl or tilt gently until the cake dissolves, never shake, and give any remaining powder a few minutes to settle into solution. Label the vial with the date and the concentration, then keep it refrigerated at 2 to 8 °C and protected from light. The full method, with the reason behind each step, is in how to reconstitute peptides with bacteriostatic water.
Why the solution should look clear
Properly reconstituted Glutathione forms a clear, colourless solution. Cloudiness, strands or a gel that will not disperse usually mean the water went in too fast or the vial was shaken; haze that appears later points to warm or bright storage. The causes are covered in why peptides gel or go cloudy.
Bacteriostatic water, not sterile water
Bacteriostatic water is sterile water with 0.9% benzyl alcohol, a preservative that allows a refrigerated vial to be accessed more than once; plain sterile water is intended for single access. The difference is explained in bacteriostatic water explained.
Frequently asked questions
How much bacteriostatic water do I add to a 600 mg vial of Glutathione?
There is no single correct volume. With 3 mL of bacteriostatic water a 600 mg vial of Glutathione gives 200 mg/mL; the 1500 mg vial with 10 mL gives 150 mg/mL. Adding more water does not change the quantity in the vial, it spreads it through a larger volume, so write the concentration you chose on the vial.
How many 600 mg vials does a 10 mL vial of bacteriostatic water cover?
A 10 mL vial of bacteriostatic water reconstitutes three 600 mg vials at 3 mL each. Check that the peptide vial has headspace for the volume before choosing a larger one.
How many units on a U-100 syringe contain 100 mg at 200 mg/mL?
At 200 mg/mL (a 600 mg vial with 3 mL of water), the volume that contains 100 mg is 100 divided by 200, which is 0.5 mL, or 50 units. Units are millilitres multiplied by 100, so 0.1 mL is 10 units. The amounts on this page illustrate the arithmetic only.
What should reconstituted Glutathione look like?
Properly reconstituted Glutathione forms a clear, colourless solution. Cloudiness, strands or a gel that will not disperse usually mean the water went in too fast or the vial was shaken; haze that appears later points to warm or bright storage. More on the causes in why peptides gel or go cloudy.
Can I use sterile water instead of bacteriostatic water?
Only for a vial that will be accessed once. Bacteriostatic water is sterile water with 0.9% benzyl alcohol, a preservative that allows a refrigerated vial to be accessed more than once; plain sterile water is intended for single access. Details in bacteriostatic water explained.
How should a reconstituted Glutathione vial be stored?
Refrigerated at 2 to 8 °C, protected from light and labelled with the date and the concentration. Unopened lyophilised vials are kept cold and dark until they are needed. The full storage guide is how to store research peptides.
Work it out for a different vial or concentration
Our peptide calculator opens pre-set for a 600 mg vial with 3 mL of water and marks the 100 mg draw of 50 units on a syringe diagram. Change the vial size, water volume, amount or syringe and it recalculates.
Products: Glutathione 600 mg and 1500 mg and bacteriostatic water 10 mL.
References
Glutathione has several human trials. Skin findings are endpoint-specific and a systematic review judged the overall evidence inconclusive; an intravenous Parkinson's pilot found no significant benefit.
- Glutathione as an oral whitening agent: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studyRandomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial; 60 healthy participants, oral glutathione, 4 weeks. Significant between-group differences at only two of the measured sites.
- The clinical effect of glutathione on skin color and other related skin conditions: A systematic reviewSystematic review of four clinical skin studies including three placebo-controlled randomised trials; authors concluded the evidence remains inconclusive.
- Randomized, double-blind, pilot evaluation of intravenous glutathione in Parkinson's diseaseRandomised, double-blind pilot; 21 patients, intravenous glutathione in Parkinson's disease. No statistically significant improvement in UPDRS outcomes versus placebo.
Links open the study record on PubMed so the source can be checked directly. Listing a study is not a claim that its findings apply to any other use, product or route of administration. Research use only.
