Background:
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is one of the most employed techniques
in structural elucidation of organic compounds. In addition to its use in structural characterization,
it has been widely employed in the investigation of reaction mechanisms, especially those involving
catalysis.
Objective:
In this review, we aim to provide recent examples of the interface of NMR and organocatalysis
reaction mechanism.
Methods:
Selected examples of different approaches for mechanism elucidation will be presented,
such as isotopic effect, catalyst labelling and online reaction monitoring. A discussion involving the
use of solid-state NMR will also be disclosed.
Conclusion:
NMR consists of a non-destructive technique, extremely useful in the real-time identification
of intermediates in crude reaction mixtures. With the advent of two-dimensional experiments
and high field NMR spectrometers, the reports of studies involving mechanistic elucidation were
greatly enhanced. In this context, nowadays NMR appears as a powerful tool for the comprehension
of reaction mechanisms, including the possibility of the proposal of unknown reaction mechanisms
within organocatalysis.
