Stepwise conversion of dinitrogen co-ordinated to molybdenum into an amine and an imido-complex. Relevance to the reactions of nitrogenase
Abstract
Conversion of dinitrogen bound terminally at a mononuclelar molybdenum site into an imido-ligand (NH) and a secondary amine has been achieved by the reactions shown in Scheme 1; the mode of N–N cleavage and the retention of the four equatorial ligands may be characteristic of the reactions of nitrogenase.