Sample Tube Design & Replacement in the QM-125

The QM-125 benchtop NMR represents a new generation of analytical instrumentation built around flexibility, automation, and simplicity. With its 3-Tesla magnet and 125 MHz Larmor frequency, it delivers the highest field strength in its class while introducing a versatile approach to NMR sample handling: sample-delivery-by-flow. NMR samples can be introduced by syringe and from on-line and in-line automated delivery systems. The versatility of flow-NMR can change the way you think about routine sample handling and high-throughput NMR applications.

Inside the QM-125, a single piece of 100% PFA polymer tubing runs continuously through the magnet from one front-panel fluid fitting to the other, forming an easily replaced and chemically inert flow path. Due to the low surface adhesion of the PFA tubing, liquid samples are easily displaced with air or flushed with solvent to clear the tube for the next sample. For high-precision applications, the sample tube may also be easily washed with µL amounts of the following sample as a sacrificial volume to prepare the tube for measurement. Either way, the sample tube can be reused indefinitely without risk of carryover or contamination with best practices.

Sample tube have a long lifetime however, as every chemist knows, experiments don’t always go as planned when pushing the boundaries of chemistry. Every now and then, a challenging sample or unexpected reaction mixture may make its way into the flow path. That’s why the QM-125 is designed with practicality in mind, so that replacing the sample tube is quick, inexpensive, and user-manageable.

To better understand the sample tube design of the QM-125, check out our recent video, which provides a step-by-step look at how the flow path works and demonstrates how easy it is to replace the sample tube in just a few minutes. The video offers a view inside the instrument and shows how the practical and user-friendly design of sample-delivery-by-flow makes the QM-125 ready for walk-up use and for your automated applications.

With its seamless flow-NMR operation, compact footprint, and hyphenation capabilities, benchtop NMR is becoming more accessible to all NMR users. The design of the QM-125 sets a new standard for benchtop NMR flexibility, paving the way for the next generation of automated, connected, and high-performance NMR applications.