Using NMR Relaxation Measurements for Quality Control of Incoming Materials used in Formulation of Products
The preparation of any suspension or slurry comprising a powder material in a liquid, be it for “blue sky” experimental R&D purposes or in the pre-formulation of a commercial product, will always start with a solid and a liquid. Unfortunately raw materials are never 100% pure, and this is true even for National Formulary (pharmaceutical) grade material. Indeed, industrial material can contain as little as 80% of the active component, as a cursory glance at the typical Material Safety Data Sheet and the Technical Data Sheet, always supplied with the material, will attest to! In all cases, the type and level of impurities depends on the source of the material and any subsequent processing.
NMR spectroscopy is one of the most powerful analytical tools used to probe details of molecular structure and dynamics. Devices employing NMR technology require very high magnetic fields and, hence, very large magnets. However, the advent of small powerful magnets has allowed low-field instruments, such as the Mageleka MagnoMeter XRS™ Relaxometer, to be designed that have small footprints and so are suited to normal, routine laboratory analysis.
