+ (X ) Cl, Br; L ) CO, C 2 H 4 , PMe 2 Ph) were synthesized by the reaction of the salts of pyrylium cations with the hydrazido complexes [WX 2 (NNH 2 )(L)(PMe 2 Ph) 2 ], which were derived from the dinitrogen complex cis-[W(N 2 ) 2 (PMe 2 Ph) 4 ]. The complexes obtained were characterized by spectroscopic measurements as well as crystallographic studies of cis,mer-[WBr 2 (][ClO 4 ], which revealed that the N-N bond distances of these (1-pyridinio)imido complexes are shorter than those of the trialkyl-or unsubstituted hydrazidium complexes so far reported. The (1-pyridinio)imido complexes with a π-acidic ligand (CO or C 2 H 4 ) underwent smooth N-N bond cleavage on reaction with cobaltocene under ambient conditions to liberate the pyridines in moderate to high yields. In some reactions that were conducted in the presence of HNEt 3 -Cl, the corresponding imido (NH) complexes were recovered as the metal products. The (1-pyridinio)imido complexes also reacted with KOH in MeOH to give the pyridines and ammonia in high yields. These reactions provide the first examples of N-N bond cleavage of well-defined hydrazidium complexes and accomplish the synthesis of pyridines from molecular nitrogen under mild conditions.
IntroductionGreat efforts have been directed toward the activation and chemical transformation of dinitrogen assisted by transition metal complexes with the intention not only of understanding the biological dinitrogen reduction mechanisms but also of developing a new nitrogen fixation process under mild conditions. 2,3 Incorporation of dinitrogen directly into organic substrates by using transition metal dinitrogen complexes is one of the most fascinating goals in the chemistry of nitrogen fixation. In this context, we have continuously been investigating the conversion of ligating dinitrogen into organonitrogen ligands.Previously, we have shown that facile transformations of coordinated dinitrogen in molybdenum or tungsten complexes of the type [M(N 2 ) 2 (PR 3 ) 4 ] (M ) Mo, W; PR 3 ) tertiary phosphine) into various diazoalkane ligands 4 (N 2 CR 1 R 2 ) are realized by the two-step process: 5 the protonation of the dinitrogen complexes leading to the hydrazido(2-) complexes