The life-sustaining reduction of
N2 to NH3 is thermoneutral yet kinetically challenged
by high-energy intermediates
such as N2H2. Exploring intramolecular H-bonding
as a potential strategy to stabilize diazene intermediates, we employ
a series of [
xHetTpCu]2(μ-N2H2) complexes that exhibit H-bonding between pendant
aromatic N-heterocycles (xHet) such as pyridine and a bridging trans-N2H2 ligand at copper(I) centers.
X-ray crystallography and IR spectroscopy clearly reveal H-bonding
in [pyMeTpCu]2(μ-N2H2) while low-temperature 1H NMR studies coupled with DFT
analysis reveals a dynamic equilibrium between two closely related,
symmetric H-bonded structural motifs. Importantly, the xHet pendant negligibly influences the electronic structure of
xHetTpCuI centers in
xHetTpCu(CNAr2,6‑Me2
) complexes
that lack H-bonding as judged by nearly indistinguishable ν(CN)
frequencies (2113–2117 cm–1). Nonetheless,
H-bonding in the corresponding [
xHetTpCu]2(μ-N2H2) complexes results in
marked changes in ν(NN) (1398–1419 cm–1) revealed through resonance Raman studies. Due to the closely matched
N–H BDEs of N2H2 and the pyH0 cation radical, the aromatic N-heterocyclic pendants may encourage
partial H-atom transfer (HAT) from N2H2 to xHet through redox-non-innocent H-bonding in [
xHetTpCu]2(μ-N2H2). DFT
studies reveal modest thermodynamic barriers for concerted transfer
of both H-atoms of coordinated N2H2 to the xHet pendants to generate tautomeric [
xHetHTpCu]2(μ-N2) complexes, identifying metal-assisted
concerted dual HAT as a thermodynamically favorable pathway for N2/N2H2 interconversion.