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The examination of the mass-spectra showed an absence of the oxidized form of peptide LC 10-28, thus we determined only the contents of oxidized peptides HC 150-156 and HC 118-140.

I'm not sure about the use of articles here. Does the "where is room 301" rule apply here?

"LC 10-28" is a kind of code indicating the position of the peptide in the light chain of the antibody molecule. Looks like the number "301" in "room 301".

Or does it work like a proper name here, necessitating the use of the definite article?

The examination of the mass-spectra showed an absence of the oxidized form of the peptide LC 10-28, thus we determined only the contents of oxidized peptides HC 150-156 and HC 118-140.

A peptide is not exactly like a "room", this is one thing that confuses me. Peptides differ in their length and amino acid composition.

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CowperKettle
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    Either version is idiomatic, but it seems to me that the tradition in scientific writing is to omit articles whenever possible. I have my own theory about the origin of this tradition, but anyone who reads scientific literature will have noticed that the articles are in short supply. – P. E. Dant Reinstate Monica Oct 13 '16 at 05:25
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    Evidence from Ngram suggests the use of the article: https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=form+of+peptide%2Cform+of+the+peptide&year_start=1900&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cform%20of%20peptide%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cform%20of%20the%20peptide%3B%2Cc0 - but I agree that both versions may fit. –  Oct 13 '16 at 05:27
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    The rule here is analogous to "The Eyewitness News team spoke with swimmer Michael Phelps". – TimR Oct 13 '16 at 09:29

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With things that have generic labels instead of names, the zero article should definitely be used:

  • Room 301
  • Chapter 11
  • Orbital 1s
  • Level 1

Even things that have names are often used with zero article:

  • Queen Elizabeth
  • USS Enterprise
  • Planet Earth
  • Mount Everest

The definite article is sometimes used when one wants to clarify which of several things with the same name is referred to:

  • I'm talking about the planet Venus, not the goddess.

So if "LC 10-28" can have various meanings in the context, then using "the peptide LC 10-28" makes sense. But if it's a unique label, the article "the" seems redundant.

laugh salutes Monica C
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