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Charge‐Tagged N ‐Heterocyclic Carbenes (NHCs): Revealing the Hidden Side of NHC‐Catalysed Reactions through Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry
Author(s) -
Salvitti Chiara,
Chiarotto Isabella,
Pepi Federico,
Troiani Anna
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
chempluschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.801
H-Index - 61
ISSN - 2192-6506
DOI - 10.1002/cplu.202000656
Subject(s) - chemistry , electrospray ionization , mass spectrometry , electrospray , ionic bonding , characterization (materials science) , computational chemistry , combinatorial chemistry , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , ion , chromatography , materials science
N ‐heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) are key intermediates in a variety of chemical reactions. Owing to their transient nature, the interception and characterization of these reactive species have always been challenging. Similarly, the study of reaction mechanisms in which carbenes act as catalysts is still an active research field. This Minireview describes the contribution of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS) to the detection of charge‐tagged NHCs resulting from the insertion of an ionic group into the molecular scaffold. The use of different mass spectrometric techniques, combined with the charge‐tagging strategy, allowed clarification of the involvement of NHCs in archetypal reactions and the study of their intrinsic chemistry.