Crystal16 User Page

More effective mixing with rare earth magnets

Question:
It is often difficult to stir thick slurries, in my Crystal16®. I find it especially difficult when starting up from a precipitate to mix the slurry.

Answer:
Users often turn up the stir speed to maximum (1000 rpm's) when they try to mix a thick precipitate into a slurry. Although it is counter intuitive, it is in fact more effective to start with a slower stir speed when starting from a stationary position within a tick slurry. Once the magnetic bean is moving, the stir speed can be increased to create more turbulence and better mixing.
When you know that you will be trying to mix precipitate into a very concentrated slurry, program the heating run with different stirring speeds. Start with low rpm's (200-400) and work up to a higher revolution over 2 steps (750-1000 rpm).

Rare earth magnets are much stronger and hence allow for more effective mixing of thick slurries. If you often work with thick slurries it is worth investing in rare earth magnets. The 8x2 mm rare earth magnets are recommended for use with the 1.5 ml Crystal16® vials.

Small inserts for Crystal16®

Avantium developed an adaptor for the Crystal16®, making it possible to work with a minimum volume of 200 microlitres per vial.

The small insert package consists of:

4x small inserts (will cover the whole Crystal16® system)
100 small vials
100 magnets
100 caps
1x capper
1x un capper