Hey,
I am working on mechanistic studies of an organic reaction and I need to run the rxn in NMR tubes. Does anyone know an adequate way to mix, given inability to stir, the mixture between NMR experiments? There was a post on in-situ NMR some time ago that did not address this issue.
If you read Advanced Practical Organic Chemistry, (see:
https://books.google.com/books?id=FXvSBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA254&lpg=PA254&dq=how+shake++running+reaction+NMR+tube&source=bl&ots=X5TlXbs1cC&sig=ugIbObDT-WwaXlkOs12JABy19i4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCMQ6AEwAWoVChMIoaOrmu7YxwIVze-ACh0W9ga6\#v=onepage&q=how%20shake%20%20running%20reaction%20NMR%20tube&f=false)
They suggest sonication or shaking by hand. I've got a sonicater and figured this route out, however, my advisor suggested that unwanted chemistry may occur via sonification. To be honest this assertion seems highly speculative and unlikely.
So, can someone explain off the top of their head how this could possibly be true? Should I waste my energy convincing him that this is the only way in the immediate future without purchasing new equipment?
Otherwise there a number of shaker tables in the department that do not suffice due to the 50mm diameter of the tubes which renders gravitational mixing necessary. A compact rocker table available from fisher would work but we do not have any of those and again, in my department, this is going to be a hard sell due to funding limitations.
Any thoughts on a simple solution amenable to basic, underfunded labs would be greatly appreciated or otherwise gumption to challenge a professors hand-waving assertions.