Is Single-Molecule Fluorescence Spectroscopy Ready To Join the Organic Chemistry Toolkit? A Test Case Involving Click Chemistry.

Single molecule spectroscopy (SMS) has matured to a point where it can be used as a convenient tool to guide organic synthesis and drug discovery, particularly applicable to catalytic systems where questions related to homogeneous vs heterogeneous pathways are important. SMS can look at intimate mechanistic details that can inspire major improvements of the catalyst performance, its recovery, and reuse. Here, we use the click reaction between alkynes and azides as an example where improvements at the bench have been inspired and validated using single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy.