målstoffet

Målstoffet is a term used in Swedish and Norwegian to denote “the target substance” or “the substance of interest” in a given study, experiment, or process. It describes the material, compound, or analyte that is the focus of measurement, evaluation, or production.

The concept is applied across disciplines, including analytical chemistry, pharmacology, environmental science, and materials research. In analytical chemistry, the målstoffet is the analyte for which a method is developed and validated, often represented by a standard or reference material. In pharmacology and drug development, the active pharmaceutical ingredient can be referred to as the målstoffet in efficacy and safety studies. In materials testing or irradiation experiments, the target material subjected to testing, treatment, or measurement functions as the målstoffet.

Defining the målstoffet clarifies the scope of procedures such as sampling, calibration, and data interpretation. Calibration curves, detection limits, and quantification strategies are established with explicit reference to this substance. The term emphasizes the experimental focus and helps avoid ambiguity about which compound or material is being discussed.

Etymology and usage note: målstoffet combines mål (target or goal) with stoff (substance). While predominantly used in Nordic lab contexts, the concept aligns with the more general terms analyte, target substance, or active ingredient in international scientific writing.