1. Photoinduced Metallonitrene Formation by N2 Elimination from Azide Diradical Ligands.
- Author
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Domenianni, Luis I., Bauer, Markus, Schmidt‐Räntsch, Till, Lindner, Jörg, Schneider, Sven, and Vöhringer, Peter
- Subjects
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PLATINUM , *INFRARED spectroscopy , *LIGANDS (Chemistry) , *NITROGEN , *NITRENES , *TIME-resolved spectroscopy , *ACENES - Abstract
Transition‐metal nitrides/nitrenes are highly promising reagents for catalytic nitrogen‐atom‐transfer reactivity. They are typically prepared in situ upon optically induced N2 elimination from azido precursors. A full exploitation of their catalytic potential, however, requires in‐depth knowledge of the primary photo‐induced processes and the structural/electronic factors mediating the N2 loss with birth of the terminal metal‐nitrogen core. Using femtosecond infrared spectroscopy, we elucidate here the primary molecular‐level mechanisms responsible for the formation of a unique platinum(II) nitrene with a triplet ground state from a closed‐shell platinum(II) azide precursor. The spectroscopic data in combination with quantum‐chemical calculations provide compelling evidence that product formation requires the initial occupation of a singlet excited state with an anionic azide diradical ligand that is bound to a low‐spin d8‐configured PtII ion. Subsequent intersystem crossing generates the Pt‐bound triplet azide diradical, which smoothly evolves into the triplet nitrene via N2 loss in a near barrierless adiabatic dissociation. Our data highlight the importance of the productive, N2‐releasing state possessing azide ππ* character as a design principle for accessing efficient N‐atom‐transfer catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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