Nitrogen reduction to ammonia is one of the most fascinating chemical transformations mediated in biology. While it is widely appreciated that the iron-rich cofactors of nitrogenase enzymes facilitate this transformation, how they do so remains a mystery. Inorganic model complexes afford one approach to consider and test the viability of mechanistic proposals. Herein we describe a well-defined tris-phosphine borane iron catalyst that is able to catalyze the reduction of N2 to NH3 by the addition of protons and electrons at -78 �C. A key design element of the featured catalyst is a hemi-labile ligand that may functionally model the interstitial light C-atom of the nitrogenase cofactor. The results described suggest that a single-iron-site-hypothesis for biological nitrogenfixation warrants further consideration.

Catalytic conversion of nitrogen to ammonia by a single-site Fe model complex

248th National Meeting (2014)

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