Half of the world's population today can attribute their existence to fertilizer generated from the reduction of nitrogen to ammonia by the Haber-Bosch process.   Although the Haber-Bosch process occurs under forcing conditions, nature can generate NH3 from N2, protons, and electrons at ambient conditions with nitrogenase enzymes.  The mechanism for the reduction of N2 to NH3 by nitrogenase has been of much debate with little insight into proton transfer during the reduction process.  In our approach we are using [(diphosphine)2FeH(N2)]+ and (diphosphine)2Fe(N2) complexes where one of the diphosphine ligands contains a proton relay (pendant amine).  This poster will discuss the fundamental question of the role of proton relays in the second coordination sphere of these complexes in their ability to facilitate redox potential and proton movement from an external acid to metal-bound dinitrogen ligand in the multi-proton/electron reduction of N2 to ammonia.

Protonation and reduction reactions of iron dinitrogen complexes containing pendant amines

245th National Meeting (2013)

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