Cosmic Peptides research library

Peptide calculator

The molecular formula, masses, charge across pH, isoelectric point, absorbance and the mass spectrometry ions to expect, for any peptide sequence. Recalculated in your browser as you type.

Last reviewed · Editorial policy

One-letter or hyphenated three-letter code, up to 200 residues. How to write caps, D-residues, disulfides and bridges.

Try: KPV · Oxytocin, with its disulfide · A lactam-bridged ring · Pyroglutamate and an amide

This is Semax in the peptide reference.

Have observed masses? Check them against this sequence.

Structure

Three-letter code: H-Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro-OH

One-letter code: MEHFPGP

  • 7 residues
  • N-terminus: free amine
  • C-terminus: free acid

Calculated properties

Calculated from the structure
PropertyValue
Molecular formulaC37H51N9O10S
Average molecular weight813.93 g/mol
Monoisotopic mass813.3480 Da
Net charge at pH 7-0.8
Isoelectric point5.36
Molar absorption coefficient, 280 nmNo tryptophan, tyrosine or cystine: no absorbance at 280 nm; quantify at 205–220 nm instead.
Hydropathy (GRAVY)-0.80
Net charge across the pH range
pH 2pH 4pH 6pH 7pH 8pH 10pH 12
2.00.8-0.2-0.8-1.2-2.0-2.0

Composition: Pro 2, Glu 1, Gly 1, His 1, Met 1, Phe 1.

Expected mass spectrometry ions

The protonated ions expected in positive-mode electrospray, from the monoisotopic mass, and the common sodium and potassium adducts. MALDI spectra show mainly [M+H]+.

Expected ions (monoisotopic)
Ionm/z
[M+H]+814.3552
[M+2H]2+407.6813
[M+Na]+836.3372
[M+K]+852.3111

Isotope pattern

Natural carbon-13, nitrogen-15, oxygen-18, sulfur-34 and deuterium spread each ion over a cluster of peaks about 1 Da apart (1/z on the m/z scale). The monoisotopic peak is the most abundant.

050100MM+1M+2M+3M+4
Calculated isotope pattern of the neutral molecule, from IUPAC isotopic abundances.
Isotope peaks (relative abundance, most abundant = 100)
PeakAbundanceNeutral mass[M+H]+[M+2H]2+
M (monoisotopic)100.0813.3480814.3552407.6813
M+145.1814.3508815.3581408.1827
M+216.5815.3508816.3581408.6827
M+34.3816.3517817.3590409.1831
M+40.9817.3530818.3603409.6838

Fragment ions (MS/MS)

Collision-induced fragmentation breaks peptide bonds along the backbone. Fragments that keep the N-terminus are b ions; those that keep the C-terminus are y ions. Reading the ladder confirms the sequence residue by residue. Singly charged monoisotopic values. The b ion containing every residue is rarely seen and the y ion containing every residue is the precursor itself, so neither is listed.

b and y ions
b#b+Residuey+y#
1132.0478Met—7
2261.0904Glu683.31486
3398.1493His554.27225
4545.2177Phe417.21324
5642.2704Pro270.14483
6699.2919Gly173.09212
7—Pro116.07061

Immonium ions (low-mass markers of the residues present): Gly 30.0338, Pro 70.0651, Glu 102.0550, Met 104.0528, His 110.0713, Phe 120.0808.

What to watch for analytically

Variants this sequence can give, from its chemistry. They are what an HPLC or mass spectrometry result for this peptide is read against; none is a statement about a particular lot. Where synthesis variants come from is explained in How synthetic peptides are made.

Sequence-specific variants
VariantMass changeWhy
Methionine oxidation+15.995 Da per oxidized residueMethionine at position 1 can oxidize to the sulfoxide, which usually elutes slightly earlier in reversed-phase HPLC.
Synthesis-related variantsminus a residue (deletion)As for any synthetic peptide, deletion sequences and incompletely deprotected forms can occur.

Writing a sequence

What the calculator reads
WriteFor
KPVOne-letter code, standard amino acids. Spaces, position numbers and a FASTA header line are ignored.
KpVLower case in one-letter code: a D-amino acid.
Lys-Pro-ValThree-letter code, hyphenated, in any case.
H- Ac- Hexenoyl-The N-terminus written in the sequence: free amine, acetyl or trans-3-hexenoyl. It takes precedence over the menu.
-OH -NH2The C-terminus written in the sequence: free acid or amide. It takes precedence over the menu.
D-PheA D-amino acid in three-letter code; D-(Leu-Ala-Gly) makes every residue D.
Cys(1)-…-Cys(1)A disulfide bond: number each pair. In one-letter code, give the number of bonds in the menu instead.
cyclo[Asp-…-Lys]A side-chain lactam bridge between Asp and Lys (one water lost).
Pyr Aib Nle Orn 2Nal Dmt MrpNon-standard residues: pyroglutamate (first position only), α-aminoisobutyric acid, norleucine, ornithine, 3-(2-naphthyl)alanine, 2,6-dimethyltyrosine (also written Tyr(2,6-diMe)), 2-methyltryptophan.

How it calculates

Masses add up the residues and termini, less two hydrogens per disulfide and one water per lactam bridge: average mass from the IUPAC 2021 standard atomic weights, monoisotopic mass from the AME2020 atomic mass evaluation. Charge and isoelectric point use the EMBOSS pKa set, which takes every group as independent, so they are estimates; a real peptide's values shift with its neighbors, its salt form and the solvent. Absorbance at 280 nm is the Pace method (tryptophan, tyrosine and cystine), and hydropathy is the Kyte–Doolittle average over standard residues. The sequence variants are general peptide chemistry applied to the sequence.

It calculates the properties of the molecule only: it gives no amounts, volumes or concentrations, and a calculated value is not a measurement. Measured values for a lot are on its certificate of analysis; how to read one is in How to read a certificate of analysis.

Sources & Further Reading

  1. Prohaska T, Irrgeher J, Benefield J, Böhlke JK, Chesson LA, Coplen TB, et al. Standard atomic weights of the elements 2021 (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry 2022;94(5):573–600. doi:10.1515/pac-2019-0603
  2. Wang M, Huang WJ, Kondev FG, Audi G, Naimi S. The AME 2020 atomic mass evaluation (II). Tables, graphs and references. Chinese Physics C 2021;45(3):030003. doi:10.1088/1674-1137/abddaf
  3. Rice P, Longden I, Bleasby A. EMBOSS: the European Molecular Biology Open Software Suite. Trends in Genetics 2000;16(6):276–277. doi:10.1016/S0168-9525(00)02024-2
  4. Pace CN, Vajdos F, Fee L, Grimsley G, Gray T. How to measure and predict the molar absorption coefficient of a protein. Protein Science 1995;4(11):2411–2423. doi:10.1002/pro.5560041120
  5. Kyte J, Doolittle RF. A simple method for displaying the hydropathic character of a protein. Journal of Molecular Biology 1982;157(1):105–132. doi:10.1016/0022-2836(82)90515-0
  6. Meija J, Coplen TB, Berglund M, Brand WA, De Bièvre P, Gröning M, et al. Isotopic compositions of the elements 2013 (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry 2016;88(3):293–306. doi:10.1515/pac-2015-0503
  7. Roepstorff P, Fohlman J. Letter to the editors: proposal for a common nomenclature for sequence ions in mass spectra of peptides. Biomedical Mass Spectrometry 1984;11(11):601. doi:10.1002/bms.1200111109
  8. Biemann K. Contributions of mass spectrometry to peptide and protein structure. Biomedical and Environmental Mass Spectrometry 1988;16(1–12):99–111. doi:10.1002/bms.1200160119
  9. Geiger T, Clarke S. Deamidation, isomerization, and racemization at asparaginyl and aspartyl residues in peptides. Succinimide-linked reactions that contribute to protein degradation. Journal of Biological Chemistry 1987;262(2):785–794. doi:10.1016/S0021-9258(19)75855-4
  10. Manning MC, Chou DK, Murphy BM, Payne RW, Katayama DS. Stability of protein pharmaceuticals: an update. Pharmaceutical Research 2010;27(4):544–575. doi:10.1007/s11095-009-0045-6
  11. D'Hondt M, Bracke N, Taevernier L, Gevaert B, Verbeke F, Wynendaele E, et al. Related impurities in peptide medicines. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis 2014;101:2–30. doi:10.1016/j.jpba.2014.06.012

See also

Cite this page

Text

Cosmic Peptides. (2026, October 25). Peptide calculator. Cosmic Peptides Research Library. Retrieved October 26, 2026, from https://cosmicpeptides.com/research/tools/peptide-calculator

BibTeX

@misc{cosmicpeptides_research_tools_peptide_calculator,
  author       = {{Cosmic Peptides}},
  title        = {Peptide calculator},
  howpublished = {Cosmic Peptides Research Library},
  year         = {2026},
  month        = oct,
  url          = {https://cosmicpeptides.com/research/tools/peptide-calculator},
  urldate      = {2026-10-26},
  note         = {Last reviewed 2026-10-25}
}

RIS

TY  - ELEC
AU  - Cosmic Peptides
TI  - Peptide calculator
T2  - Cosmic Peptides Research Library
PB  - Cosmic Peptides
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/25
UR  - https://cosmicpeptides.com/research/tools/peptide-calculator
Y2  - 2026/10/26
LA  - en
ER  - 

Cite the date the page was last reviewed, October 25, 2026, as its version. Reference managers such as Zotero can save this page directly.

Changes to this page

  1. Updated Peptide mass match, isotope patterns and fragment ions

    Check the masses from a spectrum or a certificate against a sequence; every reference entry and calculation now shows its isotope pattern and its b- and y-ion ladder.

  2. Published Peptide calculator

    Formula, average and monoisotopic mass, charge across pH, isoelectric point, absorbance and the mass spectrometry ions to expect, for any sequence, recalculated as you type.

Changes of substance are listed here; wording changes are not. Every correction is also on the corrections log.

For in vitro laboratory research only. Not for human or veterinary use. This library describes chemistry, analytical methods and published laboratory research; it gives no guidance on use in people or animals.