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.

中文翻译：

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带有电荷标签的N杂环卡宾（NHC）：通过电喷雾电离质谱法揭示NHC催化反应的隐藏面

N-杂环卡宾（NHC）是各种化学反应中的关键中间体。由于它们的瞬时性质，这些反应性物质的拦截和表征一直是挑战性的。类似地，以卡宾为催化剂的反应机理的研究仍然是活跃的研究领域。这份Minireview描述了电喷雾电离质谱（ESI-MS）对检测将离子基团插入分子支架而产生的带电荷NHC的贡献。通过使用不同的质谱技术以及电荷标记策略，可以澄清NHC在原型反应中的参与及其内在化学的研究。