What role does sensitivity play in catalysis instrumentation?
Sensitivity is crucial for detecting and quantifying the presence of reactants, intermediates, and products in catalytic reactions. In techniques such as GC-MS and NMR, high sensitivity is necessary to identify trace amounts of substances, which are often pivotal in understanding reaction mechanisms. Low sensitivity can result in missing critical reaction intermediates, leading to incomplete or inaccurate mechanistic insights. Enhancing sensitivity often involves trade-offs with other parameters like resolution and signal-to-noise ratio, complicating the optimization of analytical methods.
