Mass spectrometry in organic and bio-organic catalysis: Using thermochemical properties to lend insight into mechanism

Damon J Hinz; Lanxin Zhang; Jeehiun K Lee

doi:10.1002/mas.21797

Mass spectrometry in organic and bio-organic catalysis: Using thermochemical properties to lend insight into mechanism

Mass Spectrom Rev. 2023 Sep-Oct;42(5):1965-1983. doi: 10.1002/mas.21797. Epub 2022 Jul 27.

Authors

Damon J Hinz¹, Lanxin Zhang¹, Jeehiun K Lee¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.

PMID: 35899315
DOI: 10.1002/mas.21797

Abstract

In this review, we discuss gas phase experimentation centered on the measurement of acidity and proton affinity of substrates that are useful for understanding catalytic mechanisms. The review is divided into two parts. The first covers examples of organocatalysis, while the second focuses on biological catalysis. The utility of gas phase acidity and basicity values for lending insight into mechanisms of catalysis is highlighted.

Keywords: acidity; enzymes; organocatalysts; proton affinity; reaction mechanisms.