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Two molybdenum dinitrogen complexes with a novel pentaphosphine environment have been synthesised and structurally characterised. A combination of the tripodal alkylphosphine ligand tris(dimethylphosphinomethyl)methylsilane (SiP3) and the coligands dppm/dmpm has been employed to tune the activation of the N2 ligand.

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The syntheses of two pentadentate tetrapodal phosphine (pentaPod(P)) ligands, P2(Ph)PP2(Ph) and P2(Me)PP2(Ph), are reported, which derive from the fusion of a tripod and a trident ligand. Reaction of the ligand P2(Ph)PP2(Ph) with [MoCl3(THF)3] followed by an amalgam reduction under N2 does not lead to well-defined products. The same reactions performed with the ligand P2(Me)PP2(Ph) afford the mononuclear molybdenum dinitrogen complex [MoN2(P2(Me)PP2(Ph))]. Because of the unprecedented topology of the pentaphosphine ligand, the Mo-P bond to the phosphine in the trans position to N2 is significantly shortened, explaining the very strong activation of the dinitrogen ligand (ν̃NN = 1929 cm(-1)). The reactivity of this complex toward acids is investigated.

The syntheses of molybdenum dinitrogen complexes supported by the tridentate PEP ligands (E = N, P) prPP(Ph)P = (Ph2PCH2CH2CH2)2P(Ph), prPPHP = (Ph2PCH2CH2CH2)2PH, PN(Ph)P = (Ph2PCH2CH2)2N(Ph) and prPN(Ph)P = (Ph2PCH2CH2CH2)2N(Ph) are reported. Together with the coligand dmpm = (CH3)2PCH2P(CH3)2 dinitrogen complexes of the type [Mo(N2)(PEP)(dmpm)] are formed. The new systems are characterized by IR and NMR spectroscopy and compared with the literature-known complex [Mo(N2)(dpepp)(dmpm)] (1) (dpepp = PhP(CH2CH2PPh2)2). The consequences of the substitution of the central P-donor of dpepp by N and the replacement of its C2 by C3 linkages as well as the exchange of the EPh by an EH function are investigated with respect to the stability of the corresponding N2-complexes. Importantly, the activation of the N2 ligand drastically increases upon replacing the trans-phosphine with a trans-amine donor.