Self contained high pressure cell, apparatus and procedure for the preparation of encapsulated proteins dissolved in low viscosity fluids for NMR spectroscopy.

The design of a sample cell for high performance nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) at elevated pressure is described. The cell has been optimized for the study of encapsulated proteins dissolved in low viscosity fluids but is suitable for more general NMR spectroscopy of biomolecules at elevated pressure. The NMR cell is comprised of an alumina toughened zirconia tube mounted on a self-sealing non-magnetic metallic valve. The cell has several advantages including relatively low cost, excellent NMR performance, high pressure tolerance, chemical inertness and a relatively large active volume. Also described is a low volume sample preparation device which allows for the preparation of samples under high hydrostatic pressure and their subsequent transfer to the NMR cell.