Kinetic studies show that the benzoin condensation catalyzed by 3,4,5-trimethylthiazolium iodide and triethylamine in DMSO has a transition state with two benzaldehyde and one thiazolium;components, while the conversion of nitrobenzaldehyde to the thiazolium adduct is kinetically first order in thiazolium salt and aldehyde. These findings exclude proposals that thiazolium dimers are the true catalytic species.