Patent ID: 7092085

Claim:
A sample holder with an intense magnetic field for inducing a signal in a molecular sample, the sample holder comprising: a body with a front face, a back face and four side faces, the side faces comprising a top, a bottom, a left and a right face, the body comprising a permanent magnet means for producing the intense magnetic field at a strength sufficient to induce the signal in the molecular sample, the body being of a size and a weight such that the sample holder fits in the palm of a user's hand and enables manual manipulation thereof by the user; a sample chamber in which the intense magnetic field is formed, the sample chamber comprising a cavity in the body of the sample holder, the cavity having an aperture at one end and a solid base at an opposing end, the cavity partially penetrating the body from the aperture located on the top face of the body downward toward the opposing bottom face, the cavity being of a size and a shape so that the molecular sample may be inserted through the aperture to rest on the solid base, thereby exposing the molecular sample to the intense magnetic field upon insertion into the sample chamber; and, a beam channel through which one or more light beams emitted by a spectrometer may pass, the beam channel comprising a hollow channel extending from the front face to the back face of the body in perpendicular orientation to the sample chamber and intersecting the sample chamber at a location above its base, the beam channel further comprising an opening on the front face and an opening on the back face through either of which the one or more light beams may be directed; whereby a small manually manipulatable sample holder is provided enabling simultaneous exposure of a molecular sample placed therein to an intense magnetic field and to one or more beams of light emitted by a spectrometer, the strength of the intense magnetic field being sufficient to induce a signal in the molecular sample detectable by the spectrometer.