The mechanisms of the few known molecular nitrogen-fixing systems, including nitrogenase enzymes, are of much interest but are not fully understood. We recently reported that Fe-N2 complexes of tetradentate P3E ligands (E = B, C) generate catalytic yields of NH3 under an atmosphere of N2 with acid and reductant at low temperatures. Here we show that these Fe catalysts are unexpectedly robust and retain activity after multiple reloadings. Nearly an order of magnitude improvement in yield of NH3 for each Fe catalyst has been realized (up to 64 equiv NH3 produced per Fe for P3B and up to 47 equiv for P3C) by increasing acid/reductant loading with highly purified acid. Cyclic voltammetry shows the apparent onset of catalysis at the P3BFe-N2/P3BFe-N2− couple and controlled-potential electrolysis of P3BFe+ at −45 °C demonstrates that electrolytic N2 reduction to NH3 is feasible. Kinetic studies reveal first-order rate dependence on Fe catalyst concentration (P3B), consistent with a single-site catalyst model. An isostructural system (P3Si) is shown to be appreciably more selective for hydrogen evolution. In situ freeze-quench Mössbauer spectroscopy during turnover reveals an iron-borohydrido-hydride complex as a likely resting state of the P3BFe-catalyst system. We postulate that HER activity may prevent iron hydride formation from poisoning the P3BFe-system. This idea may be important to consider in the design of synthetic nitrogenases and may also have broader significance given that intermediate metal-hydrides and hydrogen evolution may play a key role in biological nitrogen fixation.

Terminal iron nitrides (Fe≡N) have been proposed as intermediates of (bio)catalytic nitrogen fixation, yet experimental evidence to support this hypothesis has been lacking. In particular, no prior synthetic examples of terminal Fe≡N species have been derived from N2. Here we show that a nitrogen-fixing Fe—N2 catalyst can be protonated to form a neutral Fe(NNH2) hydrazido(2−) intermediate, which, upon further protonation, heterolytically cleaves the N—N bond to release [FeIV≡N]+ and NH3. These observations provide direct evidence for the viability of a Chatt-type (distal) mechanism for Fe-mediated N2-to-NH3 conversion. The physical oxidation state range of the Fe complexes in this transformation is buffered by covalency with the ligand, a feature of possible relevance to catalyst design in synthetic and natural systems that facilitate multiproton/multielectron redox processes.

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Well-defined molecular catalysts for the reduction of N2 to NH3 with protons and electrons remain very rare despite decades of interest, and are currently limited to systems featuring Mo or Fe. This report details the synthesis of a molecular Co complex that generates superstoichiometric yields of NH3 (>200% NH3 per Co-N2 precursor) via the direct reduction of N2 with protons and electrons. While the NH3 yields reported herein are modest by comparison to previously described Fe and Mo systems, they intimate that other metals are likely to be viable as molecular N2 reduction catalysts. Additionally, comparison of the featured tris(phosphine)borane Co-N2 complex with structurally related Co-N2 and Fe-N2 species shows how remarkably sensitive the N2 reduction performance of potential pre-catalysts are. These studies enable consideration of structural and electronic effects that are likely relevant to N2 conversion activity, including π-basicity, charge state, and geometric flexibility.

Grafting density and graft distribution impact the chain dimensions and physical properties of polymers. However, achieving precise control over these structural parameters presents long-standing synthetic challenges. In this report, we introduce a versatile strategy to synthesize polymers with tailored architectures via grafting-through ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). One-pot copolymerization of an ω-norbornenyl macromonomer and a discrete norbornenyl co-monomer (diluent) provides opportunities to control the backbone sequence and therefore the side chain distribution. Toward sequence control, the homopolymerization kinetics of 23 diluents were studied, representing diverse variations in the stereochemistry, anchor groups, and substituents. These modifications tuned the homopolymerization rate constants over two orders of magnitude (0.36 M −1 s −1 < khomo < 82 M −1 s −1 ). Rate trends were identified and elucidated by complementary mechanistic and density functional theory (DFT) studies. Building on this foundation, complex architectures were achieved through copolymerizations of selected diluents with a poly(D,L-lactide) (PLA), polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), or polystyrene (PS) macromonomer. The cross-propagation rate constants were obtained by non-linear least squares fitting of the instantaneous co-monomer concentrations according to the Mayo-Lewis terminal model. Indepth kinetic analyses indicate a wide range of accessible macromonomer/diluent reactivity ratios (0.08 < r1/r2 < 20), corresponding to blocky, gradient, or random backbone sequences. We further demonstrated the versatility of this copolymerization approach by synthesizing AB graft diblock polymers with tapered, uniform, and inverse-tapered molecular "shapes." Small-angle X-ray scattering analysis of the self-assembled structures illustrates effects of the graft distribution on the domain spacing and backbone conformation. Collectively, the insights provided herein into the ROMP mechanism, monomer design, and homo-and copolymerization rate trends offer a general strategy for the design and synthesis of graft polymers with arbitrary architectures. Controlled copolymerization therefore expands the parameter space for molecular and materials design.