Search

The molecular complexes described herein use main‐group elements or transition metals to control the stoichiometric cleavage of N−H bonds of ammonia (NH3) and/or catalyze chemical and electrochemical NH3 oxidation to dinitrogen (N2). We highlight the phenomenon of coordination‐induced bond weakening and a variety of N−H bond cleavage mechanisms of NH3 including H atom abstraction, inter‐ and intra‐molecular deprotonation reactions, oxidative addition, and σ‐bond metathesis that have been demonstrated with molecular systems. We provide an overview of the molecular complexes reported for the rapidly developing field of NH3 oxidation catalysis to form N2. These systems exhibit several diverse structure types and innovative ligands to support transition metals capable of activating NH3 and mediating a challenging chemical transformation that requires breaking strong N−H bonds and forming an N−N bond en route to N2 formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a nickel complex for catalytic oxidation of ammonia to dinitrogen under ambient conditions. Using the aryloxyl radical 2,4,6‐tri‐tert‐butylphenoxyl (tBu3ArO⋅) as a H atom acceptor to cleave the N−H bond of a coordinated NH3 ligand up to 56 equiv of N2 per Ni center can be generated. Employing the N‐oxyl radical 2,2,6,6‐(tetramethylpiperidin‐1‐yl)oxyl (TEMPO⋅) as the H‐atom acceptor, up to 15 equiv of N2 per Ni center are formed. A bridging Ni‐hydrazine product identified by isotopic nitrogen (15N) studies and supported by computational models indicates the N−N bond forming step occurs by bimetallic homocoupling of two paramagnetic [Ni]−NH2 fragments. Ni‐mediated hydrazine disproportionation to N2 and NH3 completes the catalytic cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catalysts for the oxidation of NH3 are critical for the utilization of NH3 as a large‐scale energy carrier. Molecular catalysts capable of oxidizing NH3 to N2 are rare. This report describes the use of [Cp*Ru(PtBu2NPh2)(15NH3)][BArF4], (PtBu2NPh2=1,5‐di(phenylaza)‐3,7‐di(tert‐butylphospha)cyclooctane; ArF=3,5‐(CF3)2C6H3), to catalytically oxidize NH3 to dinitrogen under ambient conditions. The cleavage of six N−H bonds and the formation of an N≡N bond was achieved by coupling H+ and e− transfers as net hydrogen atom abstraction (HAA) steps using the 2,4,6‐tri‐tert‐butylphenoxyl radical (tBu3ArO.) as the H atom acceptor. Employing an excess of tBu3ArO. under 1 atm of NH3 gas at 23 °C resulted in up to ten turnovers. Nitrogen isotopic (15N) labeling studies provide initial mechanistic information suggesting a monometallic pathway during the N⋅⋅⋅N bond‐forming step in the catalytic cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]