Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy has long been established as a probe of the Angstrom- and nm-scale chemistry and dynamics of molecules in the solid, glassy, gel, liquid and gas states. In the medical field, the use of magnetic resonance imaging is now routine and will be found in most hospitals as a probe of the internal structure and blood flow within the human body. By bringing these two 'families' of magnetic resonance (MR) techniques together we have a powerful new set of tools with which to understand the fundamental physical and chemical processes that underpin our ability to formulate and manufacture materials with well-defined properties. This article summarises some of the state-of-the-art developments and applications of MR techniques with particular application to obtaining new insights and strategies for controlling product properties through chemical process design. The use of ultra-fast MR techniques to study unsteady state multi-phase, multi-component processes is identified as offering exciting opportunities in controlling properties during materials synthesis and subsequent processing. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.