Short answer first, then the reasoning. They are not contradictory, they measure different things, and this is the single most common misreading of a certificate. Purity is a relative area measurement: the main peak as a percentage of total peak area in the chromatogram. Content is an absolute mass measurement against a reference standard. A vial can be 99% pure and contain 6.1mg — pure material, overfilled — or 99% pure and contain 3mg, which is pure material and a short fill. Purity tells you what fraction of what is there is the right molecule; content tells you how much of it there is. You need both, and a certificate with only purity is telling you half the story.

HPLC_Greg said:

They are not contradictory, they measure different things, and this is the single most common misreading of a certificate.

Agreed, and mass spec answers a question purity does not: identity. High purity tells you one thing dominates the chromatogram, not that it is the molecule you ordered. A mass within about a dalton of expected is the identity check.

Dr.ObesityLA said:

I have a certificate reporting 99.2% purity and 6.1mg content on a vial sold as 5mg, and I cannot work out whether those two numbers are consistent or…

This matches mine closely enough to be worth saying so. The provenance questions are more useful than the numbers. Does the report name the batch on your vial. Is the date consistent with when that batch existed. Is it addressed to the vendor or to the person who paid for the test. Was the sample taken from general stock or supplied by the vendor. A perfect certificate for a different batch is worth nothing, and vendor-supplied samples are the most common way a genuine report ends up misleading.

Clinical perspective, offered as context rather than as advice.

COA red flags for certificates of analysis — here's what to look for when reviewing a Certificate of Analysis:

• No HPLC data: If there's no chromatography graph, it's not a real COA
• Exact 100% purity: Suspicious — real testing always shows slight variation
• No batch number: Can't trace back to specific production
• No endotoxin testing: For injectables, this is essential
• Template looks like it was made in Word: Professional labs have standardized formats

I have seen fake COAs that are literally photoshopped. Always verify independently if possible.