A rapid-mixing design for conventional NMR probes

A simple stopped-flow design for rapid mixing of two liquids within the NMR probe is presented. The device uses no switches or relays but exploits instead the torque exerted by the magnetic field on a current-leading-coil to open and close the start and stop valves. Two serially arranged tangential jet mixer blocks provide a homogeneous mixture with, depending on conditions and requirements, a filling time in the 50-100 ms range and a subsequent stabilization time in the range of 10-40 ms as tested by mixing various combinations of liquids and observing their 1H NMR spectrum. Factors influencing the mixing process are analyzed.