Going beyond electrospray: mass spectrometric studies of chemical reactions in and on liquids

Recently developed and applied ionization techniques have brought mass spectrometry to bear on previously inaccessible chemistry. We offer our perspective on this field and its application for studying reaction mechanisms.
There has been a burst in the number and variety of available ionization techniques to use mass spectrometry to monitor chemical reactions in and on liquids. Chemists have gained the capability to access chemistry at unprecedented timescales, and monitor reactions and detect intermediates under almost any set of conditions. Herein, recently developed ionization techniques that facilitate mechanistic studies of chemical processes are reviewed. This is followed by a discussion of our perspective on the judicious application of these and similar techniques in order to study reaction mechanisms.