Synthesis of diamidopyrrolyl molybdenum complexes relevant to reduction of dinitrogen to ammonia

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/ic100856n

A potentially useful trianionic ligand for the reduction of dinitrogen catalytically by molybdenum complexes is one in which one of the arms in a [(RNCH₂CH₂)₃N]^3- ligand is replaced by a 2-mesitylpyrrolyl-α-methyl arm, that is, [(RNCH₂CH ₂)₂NCH₂(2-MesitylPyrrolyl)]^3- (R = C₆F₅, 3,5-Me₂C₆H₃, or 3,5-t-Bu₂C₆H₃). Compounds have been prepared that contain the ligand in which R = C₆F₅ ([C ₆F₅N)₂Pyr]^3-); they include [(C ₆F₅N)₂Pyr]Mo(NMe₂), [(C ₆F₅N)₂Pyr]MoCl, [(C₆F ₅N)₂Pyr]MoOTf, and [(C₆F₅N) ₂Pyr]MoN. Compounds that contain the ligand in which R = 3,5-t-Bu₂C₆H₃ ([Ar^t-BuN) ₂Pyr]^3-) include {[(Ar^t-BuN) ₂Pyr]Mo(N₂)}Na(15-crown-5), {[(Ar^t-BuN) ₂Pyr]Mo(N₂)}[NBu₄], [(Ar^t-BuN) ₂Pyr]Mo(N₂) (ν_NN = 2012 cm^-1 in C₆D₆), {[(Ar^t-BuN)₂Pyr]Mo(NH ₃)}BPh₄, and [(Ar^t-BuN)₂Pyr]Mo(CO). X-ray studies are reported for [(C₆F₅N) ₂Pyr]Mo(NMe₂), [(C₆F₅N) ₂Pyr]MoCl, and [(Ar^t-BuN)₂Pyr]MoN. The [(Ar^t-BuN)₂Pyr]Mo(N₂)^0/- reversible couple is found at -1.96 V (in PhF versus Cp₂Fe^+/0), but the [(Ar^t-BuN)₂Pyr]Mo(N₂)^+/0 couple is irreversible. Reduction of {[(Ar^t-BuN)₂Pyr]Mo(NH ₃)}BPh₄ under Ar at approximately -1.68 V at a scan rate of 900 mV/s is not reversible. Ammonia in [(Ar^t-BuN) ₂Pyr]Mo(NH₃) can be substituted for dinitrogen in about 2 h if 10 equiv of BPh₃ are present to trap the ammonia that is released. [(Ar^t-BuN)₂Pyr]Mo-N=NH is a key intermediate in the proposed catalytic reduction of dinitrogen that could not be prepared. Dinitrogen exchange studies in [(Ar^t-BuN)₂Pyr]Mo(N ₂) suggest that steric hindrance by the ligand may be insufficient to protect decomposition of [(Ar^t-BuN)₂Pyr]Mo-N =NH through a variety of pathways. Three attempts to reduce dinitrogen catalytically with [(Ar^t-BuN)₂Pyr]Mo(N) as a catalyst yielded an average of 1.02 ± 0.12 equiv of NH₃.

Full text of DOI:10.1021/ic100856n

7904 Inorg. Chem. 2010, 49, 7904–7916
DOI: 10.1021/ic100856n
Synthesis of DiamidoPyrrolyl Molybdenum Complexes Relevant to Reduction
of Dinitrogen to Ammonia
€
J. M. Chin, R. R. Schrock,* and P. Muller
Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
Received April 30, 2010
A potentially useful trianionic ligand for the reduction of dinitrogen catalytically by molybdenum complexes is one in which one
of the arms in a [(RNCH2CH2)3N]3- ligand is replaced by a 2-mesitylpyrrolyl-R-methyl arm, that is, [(RNCH2CH2)2NCH2(2-
MesitylPyrrolyl)]3- (R = C6F5, 3,5-Me2C6H3, or 3,5-t-Bu2C6H3). Compounds have been prepared that contain the ligand
in which R = C6F5 ([C6F5N)2Pyr]3-); they include [(C6F5N)2Pyr]Mo(NMe2), [(C6F5N)2Pyr]MoCl, [(C6F5N)2Pyr]MoOTf, and
[(C6F5N)2Pyr]MoN. Compounds that contain the ligand in which R = 3,5-t-Bu2C6H3 ([Art-BuN)2Pyr]3-) include {[(Art-BuN)2-
Pyr]Mo(N2)}Na(15-crown-5), {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)}[NBu4], [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2) (νNN = 2012 cm-1 in C6D6),
{[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(NH3)}BPh4, and [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(CO). X-ray studies are reported for [(C6F5N)2Pyr]Mo(NMe2),
[(C6F5N)2Pyr]MoCl, and [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]MoN. The [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)0/- reversible couple is found at -1.96 V (in PhF
versus Cp2Feþ/0), but the [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)þ/0 couple is irreversible. Reduction of {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(NH3)}BPh4
under Ar at approximately -1.68 V at a scan rate of 900 mV/s is not reversible. Ammonia in [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(NH3) can be
substituted for dinitrogen in about 2 h if 10 equiv of BPh3 are present to trap the ammonia that is released. [(Art-BuN)2-
Pyr]Mo-NdNH is a key intermediate in the proposed catalytic reduction of dinitrogen that could not be prepared. Dinitrogen
exchange studies in [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2) suggest that steric hindrance by the ligand may be insufficient to protect
decomposition of [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo-NdNH through a variety of pathways. Three attempts to reduce dinitrogen catalytically
with [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N) as a “catalyst” yielded an average of 1.02 ( 0.12 equiv of NH3.
Introduction
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Nitrogenase enzymes (in algae and bacteria) convert dinitro-
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pubs.acs.org/IC
Published on Web 07/27/2010
2010 American Chemical Society

Article
Inorganic Chemistry, Vol. 49, No. 17, 2010 7905
Figure 2. “Diamidopyrrolyl” complex.
(the hexa-t-butylterphenyl analogue) lead to a decrease in the
efficiency of dinitrogen reduction, or even loss of catalytic
activity entirely.9 [HIPTN3N]Mo complexes currently are
the most efficient catalysts. Analogous vanadium,10 chro-
mium,11 and tungsten12 systems showed no catalytic activity.
Calculations have been carried out on the molybdenum cata-
lyst system,13 including density functional theory (DFT)
calculations with the full ligand,14 that support the proposed
mechanism for dinitrogen reduction in the [HIPTN3N]Mo
system.
Figure 1. Proposed intermediates in the reduction of dinitrogen at a
[HIPTN3N]Mo (Mo) center (HIPT = hexaisopropylterphenyl) through
stepwise addition of protons and electrons.
strong reducing agent in methanol. Dinitrogen is reduced first
to hydrazine, which is then disproportionated to dinitrogen and
ammonia. A typical product is a 1:10 mixture of ammonia and
hydrazine. The second catalytic process is selective for forma-
tion of ammonia.8 Dinitrogen is reduced at room temperature
(RT) and ambient pressure at a single Mo center protected by a
sterically demanding, hexaisopropylterphenyl-substituted tri-
amidoamine ligand, [(3,5-(2,4,6-i-Pr3C6H2)2C6H3NCH2-
CH2N)3N]3- ([HIPTN3N]3-). Eight of the intermediates in the
proposed reduction sequence (Figure 1) were prepared and char-
acterized and several were employed for catalytic N2 reduction.
Slow addition of CrCp*2 (Cp* = η5-C5Me5-) to a heptane
solution of [HIPTN3N]Mo(N2),[HIPTN3N]MoN, [HIPTN3N]-
MoNdNH, or {[HIPTN3N]Mo(NH3)}þ containing sparingly
soluble [2,6-lutidinium][BAr0] (Ar0 = 3,5-(CF3)2C6H3) led to
catalytic reduction of dinitrogen to ammonia, with approxi-
mately 1 equiv of dihydrogen being formed per dinitrogen
reduced. The maximum yield of ammonia is approximately 8
equiv (four turnovers).
One of the main reasons why dinitrogen reduction is limi-
ted to approximately four turnovers is that the [HIPTN3N]3-
ligand is protonated at an amido nitrogen and ultimately
removed from the metal in the presence of reducing agent and
acid.8e,f Replacing the substituted amido groups in the
triamidoamine ligand by pyrrolyl (or pyrrolide) groups
was the rationale for the synthesis of complexes that
contain a tris(pyrrolyl-R-methyl)amine ligand.15 However,
replacing the three HIPT-substituted amido groups with
three substituted pyrrolyl groups is too large a perturba-
tion on the already sensitively electronically and sterically
balanced [HIPTN3N]3- ligand system; a significant pro-
blem proved to be binding the tris(pyrrolyl-R-methyl)-
amine ligand to the metal in a tetradentate fashion. There-
fore we turned to the construction of a variation in which
one ArNCH2CH2 arm in the trianionic triamidoamine
ligand is replaced by a pyrrolyl-R-methyl arm; a “diami-
dopyrrolyl” complex, as shown in Figure 2, became the
target. The Ar0 group bound to the R carbon atom in the
pyrrolyl (e.g., Ar0 =mesityl) should provide a significant
amount of steric protection of a ligand in the apical coordi-
nation site. A pyrrolyl would seem less likely to be proto-
nated than an amido nitrogen, and if the pyrrolyl is
protonated, the proton is likely to add to an R or β carbon
atom to yield a pyrrolenine bound to a cationic metal
center, as has been shown recently for a cationic tungsten
complex.16 A pyrrolenine donor is likely to bind more
strongly to a cationic metal center than the aniline formed
upon protonation of an amido ligand. Consequently,
protonation of a pyrrolyl ligand may yield a relatively
stable cationic species. Therefore we felt that a catalyst that
contains a diamidopyrrolyl ligand could turn out to be a
more stable catalyst for dinitrogen reduction, assuming
that all other requirements are met. We report here efforts
to prepare complexes that contain diamidopyrrolyl ligands
and that function as catalysts for reduction of dinitrogen to
ammonia.
Synthesis and investigation of several variations of the
[HIPTN3N]3- ligand system have shown that use of sterically
less demanding ligands or more sterically demanding ligands
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7906 Inorganic Chemistry, Vol. 49, No. 17, 2010
Chin et al.
molybdenum chloride complex,15 but approximately what
is found for Mo-Npyrrolyl bonds in several molybdenum-
η1-pyrrolyl complexes.18
The chemical shift of the dimethylamido protons in the
proton NMR spectrum of [(C6F5N)2Pyr]Mo(NMe2) is tem-
perature dependent, a phenomenon that is analogous to what
is found for the triamidoamine complexes, [TMSN3N]Mo-
(NMe2) ([TMSN3N]3- = [(Me3SiNCH2CH2)3N]3- 19
and
)
[C6F5N3N]Mo(NMe2),20 and which is consistent with a
rapid interconversion of diamagnetic (S=0) and paramag-
netic (S=1) forms.21 The changes in the chemical shifts of the
dimethylamido protons in [TMSN3N]Mo(NMe2) (∼9 ppm
from 180 to 304 K) and [C6F5N3N]Mo(NMe2) (∼2.8 ppm
from 259-367 K) are larger than in [(C6F5N)2Pyr]Mo-
(NMe2) (0.12 ppm from 233-302 K; see Figure S1 in the
Supporting Information). If we assume that the temperature
dependent chemical shifts are a consequence of interconver-
sion of high spin and low spin forms, then ΔH° is calculated
to be 27(15) kJ mol-1; although ΔH° for [(C6F5N)2Pyr]-
Mo(NMe2) cannot be calculated accurately, the energy diffe-
rence between the high and low spin states of [(C6F5N)2Pyr]-
Mo(NMe2) clearly is much greater than that in [TMSN3N]-
Mo(NMe2) (ΔH° =9.9(1.3) kJ mol-1) or [C6F5N3N]Mo-
(NMe2) (ΔH° = 10.2(1.4) kJ mol-1).
Figure 3. Thermal ellipsoid drawing (50% probability) of the solid state
structure of [(C6F5N)2Pyr]Mo(NMe2). H atoms are omitted for clarity.
Selected bond distances (A) and angles (deg): N(5)-Mo(1)=1.9383(12),
Mo(1)-N(3) = 1.9738(12), Mo(1)-N(2) = 1.9885(12), Mo(1)-N(1) =
2.0807(12), Mo(1)-N(4)=2.2630(12), C(21)-N(2)-Mo(1)=129.36(10),
C(31)-N(3)-Mo(1)=128.3(3), N(1)-Mo(1)-N(4)=77.26(5), N(2)-
Mo(1)-N(4)=78.61(5), N(3)-Mo(1)-N(4)=77.51(5), N(5)-Mo(1)-
N(4)=176.92(5).
˚
Results
Synthesis of Diamidopyrrolyl Complexes in which Ar=
C6F5 and Ar0 = Mesityl. A Mannich reaction between
2-mesitylpyrrole17 and (C6F5NHCH2CH2)2NH (eq 1) led
to formation of H3[(C6F5N)2Pyr], a triprotonated version
of the trianionic ligand shown in Figure 2 in which Ar=
C6F5 and Ar0=Mesityl. H3[(C6F5N)2Pyr] was obtained as
a white powder upon recrystallization of the crude pro-
duct from a mixture of toluene and pentane.
Addition of LiN(TMS)2 to a mixture of H3[(C6F5N)2-
Pyr] and MoCl4(THF)2 in tetrahydrofuran (THF) results
in a rapid color change from red-orange to magenta.
Paramagnetic reddish-pink [(C6F5N)2Pyr]MoCl can be
isolated from the mixture in 42% yield (eq 3). The solid-
state structure of [(C6F5N)2Pyr]MoCl (Figure 4) reveals it
to be a TBP species similar to [(C6F5N)2Pyr]Mo(NMe2)
˚
(Figure 3). The Mo(1)-N(1) bond length (2.0184(12) A)
˚
is longer than that for Mo(1)-N(3) (1.9539(12) A) or
An emerald green solution forms rapidly upon mixing
solutions of H3[(C6F5N)2Pyr] and Mo(NMe2)4 at RT, and
green, crystalline, essentially diamagnetic [(C6F5N)2Pyr]-
Mo(NMe2) could be isolated in 83% yield (eq 2). A single
crystal X-ray diffraction study (Figure 3) showed that the
coordination geometry is approximately trigonal bipyrami-
dal with the mesityl substituent on the pyrrolyl ring pointing
straight up. The dimethylamido ligand is planar and the
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89980. (i) Fettinger, J. C.; Keogh, D. W.; Kraatz, H.-B.; Poli, R. Organome-
tallics 1996, 15, 5489. (j) Campbell, G. C.; Reibenspies, J. H.; Haw, J. F. Inorg.
Chem. 1991, 30, 171. (k) Boersma, A. D.; Phillipi, M. A.; Goff, H. M.
J. Magn. Reson. 1984, 57, 197.
˚
bond length (2.2630(12) A) is similar to what is found in
related triamidoamine ligand systems, and longer than Mo-
˚
˚
(1)-N(3) (1.9539(12) A) and Mo(1)-N(2) (1.9688(12) A.
˚
The Mo(1)-N(1) bond length (2.081 A) is slightly longer
than the Mo-Namido bonds and the average Mo(1)-Npyrrolyl
˚
bond length (2.007 A) in a tris(pyrrolyl-R-methyl)amine
(17) Rieth, R. D.; Mankad, N. P.; Calimano, E.; Sadighi, J. P. Org. Lett.
2004, 6, 3981.

Article
Inorganic Chemistry, Vol. 49, No. 17, 2010 7907
and 5.22,23 (3,5-Di-t-butylphenylNHCH2CH2)2NH, a
dark yellow oil, must be air-sensitive since minimizing
exposure of the reaction to air during workup signifi-
cantly improves the yields. (3,5-dimethylphenylNHCH2-
CH2)2NH does not appear to be as air-sensitive as (3,5-di-
t-butylphenylNHCH2CH2)2NH.
Figure 4. Thermal ellipsoid drawing (50% probability) of the solid state
structure of [(C6F5N)2Pyr]MoCl. H atoms are omitted for clarity. Se-
˚
lected bond distances (A) and angles (deg): Cl(2)-Mo(1) = 2.3583(4),
Mo(1)-N(3) = 1.9539(12), Mo(1)-N(2) = 1.9688(12), Mo(1)-N(1) =
2.0184(12), Mo(1)-N(4)=2.1737(12), C(21)-N(2)-Mo(1)=125.99(10),
C(31)-N(3)-Mo(1)=123.41(10), N(1)-Mo(1)-N(4)=79.05(5), N(2)-
Mo(1)-N(4)=79.49(5), N(3)-Mo(1)-N(4)=79.98(5), N(4)-Mo(1)-
Cl(2) = 174.98(3).
˚
Mo(1)-N(2) (1.9688(12) A), as found in [(C6F5N)2Pyr]-
Mo(NMe2).
Mannich reactions analogous to those shown in eq 1
were not successful with the (ArNHCH2CH2)2NH
species shown in eqs 4 and 5. However, the approach
shown in eqs 6 and 7 was successful. The synthesis of
H3[(Art-BuN)2Pyr] had to be carried out in the
A reaction between [(C6F5N)2Pyr]MoCl and AgOTf led
to formation of paramagnetic, orange [(C6F5N)2Pyr]Mo-
OTf in approximately 40% yield, while a reaction between
[(C6F5N)2Pyr]MoCl and NaN3 in acetonitrile at 70 °Covera
period of 72 h led to formation of yellow, diamagnetic
[(C6F5N)2Pyr]MoN. Both reactions are similar to those
reported in related triamidoamine complexes.
Attempts to reduce [(C6F5N)2Pyr]MoCl in THF under
dinitrogen with sodium, KC8, or Mg, or [(C6F5N)2Pyr]Mo-
(OTf) with Mg powder (activated with 1,2-dichloroethane)
so far have not led to any isolable dinitrogen-containing
species such as [(C6F5N)2Pyr]Mo(N2) or {[(C6F5N)2Pyr]-
Mo(N2)}-. It should be pointed out that the [(C6F5NCH2-
CH2)3N]Mo system20 also is compromised relative to ana-
logous [(ArylNCH2CH2)3N]Mo systems in which the aryl is
not fluorinated as far as syntheses of dinitrogen complexes
are concerned. Therefore we turned to the synthesis of
diamidopyrrolyl complexes that contain nonfluorinated aryl
substituents on the amido ligands.
Synthesis of Diamidopyrrolyl Complexes in which Ar=
3,5-R2C6H3 (R=t-Bu or Me) and Ar0=Mesityl. Diethyl-
enetriamine could be arylated selectively as shown in eqs 4
absence of air. H3[(Art-BuN)2Pyr] could be obtained as a
white powder after purification by column chromatogra-
phy. H3[(ArMeN)2Pyr] does not appear to be as sensitive
(22) Kwong, F. Y.; Klapars, A.; Buchwald, S. L. Org. Lett. 2002, 4, 581.
(23) Kwong, F. Y.; Buchwald, S. L. Org. Lett. 2003, 5, 793.

7908 Inorganic Chemistry, Vol. 49, No. 17, 2010
Chin et al.
to air as H3[(Art-BuN)2Pyr], and no special precautions
are necessary. H3[(ArMeN)2Pyr] was obtained as a pale
yellow, viscous oil. We focused on the synthesis and
chemistry of [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo complexes since we felt
that the greater steric hindrance afforded by the t-butyl
groups was the more desirable of the two alternatives.
Unfortunately, although we could synthesize a diamidopyr-
rolyl ligand in which Ar = HIPT and Ar0 = 2,4,6-triiso-
propylphenyl (Figure 2), which we believed would have the
maximum chance of being sufficiently bulky to protect the
metal (see Experimental Section), reactions analogous to
those described for synthesizing [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]3- com-
plexes described below led only to products that could not
be isolated through crystallization.
Addition of H3[(Art-BuN)2Pyr] to Mo(NMe2)4 yielded
teal blue, essentially diamagnetic [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(NMe2)
in 77% yield. Its diamagnetism is consistent with the S = 0
ground state that is a consequence of Mo-Namido π bonding.
We propose that its structure is analogous to that shown in
Figure 3 for the pentafluorophenyl analogue. If we assume
that the temperature dependent chemical shifts are a con-
sequence of interconversion of high spin and low spin forms,
then ΔH° is calculated to be 37(10) kJ mol-1, which is of
the same magnitude as ΔH° for [(C6F5N)2Pyr]Mo(NMe2)
(27(15) kJmol-1). Therefore it appears that ΔH° is generally
smaller in the triamidoamine systems ([TMSN3N]Mo-
(NMe2)19 and [C6F5N3N]Mo(NMe2)20) than in diamidopy-
rrolyl systems ([(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(NMe2) and [(C6F5N)2-
Pyr]Mo(NMe2)).
Figure 5. Thermal ellipsoid drawing (50% probability) of the solid state
structure of [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(NMe2). H atoms are omitted for clarity.
˚
Selected bond distances (A) and angles (deg): Mo(1)-N(5) = 1.6746(13),
Mo(1)-N(4) = 2.4134(13), Mo(1)-N(1) = 2.0565(12), Mo(1)-N(2) =
1.9857(13), Mo(1)-N(3)=1.9751(13), C(21)-N(2)-Mo(1)=126.27(10),
C(31)-N(3)-Mo(1)=127.25(10), N(1)-Mo(1)-N(4)=75.66(5), N(2)-
Mo(1)-N(4)=76.08(5), N(3)-Mo(1)-N(4)=80.99(5), N(4)-Mo(1)-
N(5)=176.43(5).
The presence of several diamagnetic species in the1H NMR
spectrum of [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)Na(THF)x in C6D6
suggests that it is not pure. Attempts to purify the com-
pound through recrystallization were not successful.
Addition of NaN(TMS)2 over a period of 30 min to a
mixture of MoCl4(THF)2 and H3[(Art-BuN)2Pyr] in THF led
to an orange-brown solution from which [(Art-BuN)2-
Pyr]MoCl could be isolated in moderate yield; a pure sample
was isolated as a pink-tan powder after recrystallization of
the crude product from a mixture of pentane and toluene.
[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]MoCl is extremely sensitive to air and moist-
ure and has paramagnetically shifted ligand resonances in its
proton NMR spectrum; paramagnetically shifted reso-
nances are features of all [ArylN3N]MoCl complexes.
The reaction between [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]MoCl and NaN3 in
MeCN at RT results in a color change from orange-brown to
dark purple followed by precipitation of a bright yellow
solid. The reaction is completed upon heating the mixture to
80 °C, and bright yellow diamagnetic [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]MoN
could be isolated in moderate yields. X-ray quality crystals
of [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]MoN were grown from fluorobenzene
at -35 °C. The solid state structure (Figure 5) showed
[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]MoN to be a TBP species analogous to the
pentafluorophenyl derivatives reported above. The Mo(1)-
N(1) bond length again is slightly longer than the Mo(1)-
N(2) and Mo(1)-N(3) bond lengths. The Mo(1)-N(4)
When impure {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)}Na(THF)x was
treated with 1 equiv of 15-crown-5 at -35 °C in diethyl
ether, the orange-red solution immediately changed to green
and a diamagnetic lilac-colored powder could be isolated
from the mixture in ∼20% yield. The lilac-colored com-
pound exhibits a green color and a νNN absorption at 1855
cm-1 in THF, as is found for {[HIPTN3N]Mo(N2)}MgCl-
(THF)3 in THF.8b All data support formulation of the
lilac-colored compound as {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)}Na-
24
(15-crown-5). When {[HIPTN3N]Mo(N2)}Na(THF)x is
exposed for several hours to a good vacuum, it turns from
dark green to purple as a consequence of losing THF; the
purple powder dissolves again in THF to yield green solu-
tions. Therefore {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)}Na(15-crown-5)
either loses 15-crown-5 from the sodium ion in THF or the
green color in THF results from complete solvation of the
salt in THF.
Reduction of [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]MoCl with Na under an
atmosphere of dinitrogen followed by addition of Bu4NCl
directly to the reaction mixture yields {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo-
(N2)}[NBu4] as a diamagnetic purple solid in ∼60% yield.
An IR spectrum of {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)}[NBu4] reveals
a dinitrogen stretch at 1840 cm-1 in C6D6. Unfortunately,
{[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2) }[NBu4] appears to be thermally
˚
bond (2.4134(13) A) is longer that in the pentafluorophenyl
derivatives as a consequence of the nitride ligand being in the
˚
apical position (Mo(1)-N(5) = 1.6746(13) A).
Reduction of [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]MoCl with 2.3 equiv of Na
under an N2 atmosphere in THF at RT produced a red
solution from which a red solid could be isolated after
removal of NaCl and unreacted Na. We propose that this
extremely sensitive red solid is the diamagnetic diazenido
anion, [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)Na(THF)x. IR spectra in
C6D6 reveal two absorption bands in the expected region
for a diazenido anion (1761 cm-1 and 1751 cm-1), but only
a single absorption band is observed in THF (1766 cm-1).
(24) {[HIPTN3N]Mo(N2)}Na(THF)x was synthesized from [HIPTN3N]-
MoCl (500 mg, 0.291 mmol) in a manner similar to that employed to
synthesize [HIPTN3N]Mo(N2)MgCl(THF)3 (ref 8b) using 2 equiv of sodium
(mirror) in THF (5 mL). The mixture was stirred with a glass-coated stir bar
for 4 days. Solvent was removed in vacuo, the residue was extracted with
pentane, and the extract was filtered through Celite. The filtrate was stood
overnight at -35 °C, and the emerald green microcrystalline solid obtained
was collected on a glass frit; yield 350 mg (69%).

Article
Inorganic Chemistry, Vol. 49, No. 17, 2010 7909
Figure 6. Electrochemical behavior of {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)}(n-Bu)4N in 0.1 M [NBu4]BAr04 in PhF recorded at a glassy carbon electrode at 100 mV/s
to 900 mV/s scan rates, referenced to Cp2Feþ/0. (Vertical axis=current in microamps.)
unstable. It changes color over a period of days in a sealed
tube at RT and no samples sent for elemental analyses
yielded satisfactory results. We noted in studies of tungsten
[HIPTN3N]3- complexes that {[HIPTN3N]W(N2)}[Bu4N]
was thermally unstable, although other derivatives (e.g., a
potassium salt) could be isolated and characterized. We
proposed that the anionic dinitrogen complex is a powerful
enough base to react with the tetrabutylammonium cation in
the solid state.
had been converted into {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo15N2}Na-
(THF) (1692 cm-1; see Figure 7). These results suggest
x
that the exchange of dinitrogen in [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)
is much faster than it is in [HIPTN3N]Mo(N2), where t1/2
for exchange is approximately 35 h at 22 °C.8e We propose
that formation of {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(15N2)}Na(THF)x
from {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)}Na(THF)x is a consequence
of electron transfer between neutral and anionic species,
rather than exchange directly in the anion. This circum-
stance is analogous to that observed in the parent system
where 14N2/15N2 exchange in {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)}-
[NBu4] is extremely slow, and any exchange that is observed
can be attributed to oxidation of a small amount of the
anion to [HIPTN3N]Mo(N2) and fast electron exchange
between [HIPTN3N]Mo(N2) with {[HIPTN3N]Mo(N2)}-
[NBu4].8b
{[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)}[NBu4] can be oxidized rever-
sibly at -1.96 V in 0.1 M [NBu4]BAr04 in PhF as shown in
Figure 6. This result should be compared to observation of
the reversible [HIPTN3N]Mo(N2)0/- redox couple at -2.11
V under similar conditions (0.1 M [NBu4]BAr04 in PhF
versus Cp2Feþ/0).8 However, oxidation of [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]-
Mo(N2) (anodic peak at ∼ -0.65 V) is not reversible. A
reversible [HIPTN3N]Mo(N2)0/þ couple was observed in
PhF, but not in THF as a consequence of rapid displacement
of N2 by THF in the cationic species.9b The irreversibility of
the [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)0/þ couple suggests that dinitro-
genislostmorereadilyin{[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)}þ than in
{[HIPTN3N]Mo(N2)}þ.
A plot of ln(A15N/Atotal) for the dinitrogen exchange
reaction in [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(15N2) under N2 in C6D6 in
a nitrogen-filled glovebox at 22 °C showed that the reac-
tion is first order in [Mo] with kobs=1.97 ꢀ 10-4 s-1 (t1/2
∼
1 h). When the pressure of N2 was increased to two
atmospheres (15 psi overpressure), t1/2 for the exchange
reaction decreased to ∼30 min. Although the exchange
rate depends on N2 pressure, that dependence alone does
not distinguish between an associative reaction to give a
six-coordinate bisdinitrogen intermediate, and rapid re-
versible loss of dinitrogen from [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)
followed by capture of the hypothetical “naked” mono-
pyramidal species, [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo, by dinitrogen.
(See Discussion Section.)
Oxidation of {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)}Na(THF)x with
AgOTf in the dark yielded paramagnetic, red [(Art-BuN)2-
Pyr]Mo(N2) in 53% yield. The value of νNN in [(Art-BuN)2-
Pyr]Mo(N2) (2012 cm-1 in C6D6) should be compared
with νNN in [HIPTN3N]Mo(N2) (1990 cm-1 in C6D6), a
difference of 22 cm .
-1 8b A higher νNN value in [(Art-BuN)2-
Pyr]Mo(N2) is consistent with slightly weaker backbond-
ing into the dinitrogen ligand in [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)
than in [HIPTN3N]Mo(N2).
When a PhF solution of [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]MoCl in the
presence of NaBPh4 is exposed to an atmosphere of NH3
(dried over Na), a rapid color change is observed from orange-
red to burgundy and paramagnetic, yellow {[(Art-BuN)2-
Pyr]Mo(NH3)}BPh4 could be isolated in 32% yield. This
compound is relatively insoluble in toluene. Similar exp-
eriments employing NaBAr04 led to formation of what
we propose is the analogous BAr04- salt, but we were not
A mixture of {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)}Na(THF)x and
[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2) in C6D6 was freeze-pump-thaw
degassed and exposed to an atmosphere of 15N2. After
2.5 h an IR spectrum of the solution revealed that
approximately half the [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2) had been
converted into [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(15N2) (1944 cm-1) and
half the {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)}Na(THF)x (1751 cm-1
)

7910 Inorganic Chemistry, Vol. 49, No. 17, 2010
Chin et al.
Figure 7. IR spectrum of a C6D6 solution of [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2) and {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)}Na(THF)x after exposure to 15N2 for 2.5 h.
able to isolate this salt from pentane, toluene, CH2Cl2, or
THF.
is virtually complete in about 2 h. Therefore we propose
that the equilibrium in eq 8 lies to the left, as it does in the
analogous [HIPTN3N]3- system. Qualitatively, the equi-
librium in the [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]3- system appears to lie
further to the left than in the [HIPTN3N]3- system, con-
sistent with slightly weaker binding of dinitrogen to the
metal in the [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]3- system and/or a slightly
stronger binding of ammonia, or both.
Reduction of a THF solution of {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo-
3
(NH )}BPh4 under an Ar atmosphere with CoCp*2 led to
a color change from yellow-brown to green with concomi-
tant formation of yellow [CoCp*2]BPh4. THF was removed
in vacuo from the emerald green solution and the resulting
solid was redissolved in C6D6 and exposed to 1 atm of N2.
The color changed from green to red over the course
of a day, and IR spectroscopy of the mixture showed that
[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2) (νNN = 2012 cm-1) had formed.
The reduction of {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(NH3)}BPh4 under
Ar at approximately -1.68 V at a scan rate of 900 mV/s is not
reversible (Figure 8), in contrast to the reduction of {[HIP-
TN3N]Mo(NH3)}þ, which takes place at -1.63 V and is
fully reversible in both PhF and THF. We propose that
ammonia is lost from [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(NH3) upon reduc-
tion of {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(NH3)}þ even in fluorobenzene.
However, when reduction of {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(NH3)}-
BPh4 was carried out under dinitrogen at progressively
slower scan rates (10 and 50 mV/s), the {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo-
Exposure of a solution of [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2) to
an atmosphere of CO led to a color change from red to
brown. Brown [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(CO) could be isolated in
27% yield. [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(CO) is paramagnetic with a
νCO absorption at 1902 cm-1; an analogous experiment
0/-
2
(N )}
redox couple could be observed (Figure 9), thus
confirming that dinitrogen replaces ammonia in [(Art-BuN)2-
Pyr]Mo(NH3). The {[HIPTN3N]Mo(N2)}0/- redox couple
is also observed during the electrochemical reduction of
{[HIPTN3N]Mo(NH3)}þ.8c
under 13CO yielded [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(13CO) (ν13CO
=
1856 cm-1). It is of utmost importance that the CO em-
ployed be free of impurities such as water and oxygen to
avoid formation of unknown products with several CO
absorption bands in the IR spectrum.
Reduction of {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(NH3)}BPh4 in THF
by CoCp*2 under an Ar atmosphere was followed by
removing the THF in vacuo, dissolving the reaction pro-
duct in C6D6, and exposing the solution to 1 atm of dini-
trogen. Formation of ∼30% of [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2) is
observed after ∼5 h. However, if 10 equiv of BPh3 are
present to trap the ammonia that is released, the exchange
Reaction of a 1:1 mixture of [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo-
(CO) and [HIPTN3N]Mo(CO) in DME with 1 equiv of
[Collidinium]BAr04 showed that the CO absorption for
[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(CO) (1896 cm-1 in DME) disappeared
and an absorption for the protonated form is observed at
1920 cm-1 (Δ = 24 cm-1). Addition of a second equivalent

Article
Inorganic Chemistry, Vol. 49, No. 17, 2010 7911
Figure 8. Electrochemical behavior of {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(NH3)}BPh4 in 0.1 M [NBu4]BAr04 in PhF recorded at a glassy carbon electrode, referenced to
Cp2Feþ/0. (Vertical axis = current in microamps.)
Figure 9. Appearance of {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(NH3)}BPh4 at scan rates of 10 and 50 mV/s. (Vertical axis = current in microamps.)
led to protonation of ∼50% of the remaining [HIPTN3N]-
Mo(CO) (1885 f 1932 cm-1, Δ=47 cm-1). We conclude
that [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(CO) is protonated more readily
than [HIPTN3N]Mo(CO) and that the shift in νCO to
higher energy in {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(CO)(H)}þ is about
half what it is in {[HIPTN3N]Mo(CO)(H)}þ. Protonation
of [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(13CO) results in a similar shift in
[HIPTN3N]Mo(N2) with [Collidinium]BAr04 in PhF re-
vealed that [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2) was again protonated
more readily than [HIPTN3N]Mo(N2). Upon addition of 2
equiv of [Collidinium]BAr04 in PhF all [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]-
Mo(N2) (νNN =2012 cm-1) had disappeared, while most
(∼70%) of the [HIPTN3N]Mo(N2) (νNN = 1990 cm-1
)
remained. In a separate experiment involving [(Art-BuN)2-
Pyr]Mo(N2) in PhF, no νNN absorption for {[(Art-BuN)2-
Pyr]Mo(N2)(H)}þ could be observed. On the basis of the
relative shifts in the CO complexes above (∼0.5) we might
expect to see νNN upon protonation of [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo-
ν
13CO (1853 f 1875 cm-1, Δ = 22 cm-1).
Protonation of [HIPTN3N]Mo(N2) is known to lead to
loss of intensity of the νNN stretch at 1990 cm-1 and obser-
vation of another at 2057 cm-1 for {[HIPTN3N]Mo(N2)-
(H)}þ (Δ = 67 cm-1). A similar side by side comparison of
protonation of a mixture of [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2) and
(N ) to shift by 0.5 ꢀ 67 cm-1 to ∼2045 cm-1. Either dinitro-
2
gen is lost from {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)(H)}þ more readily

7912 Inorganic Chemistry, Vol. 49, No. 17, 2010
Chin et al.
than from {[HIPTN3N]Mo(N2)(H)}þ or {[(Art-BuN)2-
Pyr]Mo(N2)(H)}þ decomposes in some other manner.
The site of protonation in [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(CO) and
[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2) are assumed to be the same, but
whether the site of protonation is the amido nitrogen or
the pyrrolide is not known. However, we can say with
certaintythat{[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)(H)}þ is formed more
readily than {[HIPTN3N]Mo(N2)(H)}þ, but {[(Art-BuN)2-
Pyr]Mo(N2)(H)}þ is less stable, not more stable, than
{[HIPTN3N]Mo(N2)(H)}þ.
Attempts to reduce dinitrogen catalytically were car-
ried out with [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N) as a “catalyst” in a
manner similar to that utilized for [HIPTN3N]Mo deri-
vatives, including [HIPTN3N]MoN.8e,f The amount of
NH3 produced was then quantified using the indophenol
method.25 In three catalytic runs an average of 1.02 ( 0.12
equiv of NH3 were produced. It is clear that the nitride is
reduced to ammonia, but within experimental error we
must conclude that the reaction does not turn over under
the conditions employed.
species either is not observable or it is decomposed cata-
lytically in the presence of the conjugate base (e.g., 2,6-luti-
dine) that builds up after delivery of a proton.9b,c In con-
trast, [HIPTN3N]Mo-NdNH is relatively stable, as is the
Mo-NdNH species in the analogous (catalytically inactive)
hexa-t-butylterphenyl system.9 In general, Mo-NdNH spe-
cies in more “open” ligand systems appear to be compro-
mised in some as yet unknown manner.9c
Some measure of the steric hindrance in [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]-
Mo(N2) and similar species is the ease of exchanging dinitro-
gen. In [HIPTN3N]Mo(N2) the exchange of dinitrogen takes
place with a first-order rate constant of 6 ꢀ 10-6 s-1 and a t1/2
of approximately 35 h.8b In the even more sterically hindered
[HTBTN3N]Mo system (where HTBT is hexa-t-butylter-
phenyl), the exchange of [HTBTN3N]Mo(15N2) under 14N2
has a t1/2 of ∼750 h (k ∼ 3 ꢀ 10-7 s-1).9 The values for νNN in
the two systemsare thesame, so the metal-N2 bond strengths
are the same. In [HTBTN3N]Mo(N2) it is proposed that the
steric bulk provided by the t-Bu substituents slows down loss
of N2 from the apical site compared to its rate of loss in
[HIPTN3N]Mo(N2). The rate constant of the exchange in
both [HIPTN3N]Mo and [HTBTN3N]Mo systems changes
little with the pressure of 14N2 (in the range of one to several
atmospheres). Although the Mo-N2 bond strength
(enthalpy) in [HIPTN3N]Mo(N2) is calculated to be 37.8
Discussion and Conclusions
The results that we have presented suggest that in
[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo compounds the metal is slightly less
electron rich than in an analogous [HIPTN3N]Mo complex.
Perhaps the best measure is a value of 2012 cm-1 for νNN in
[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2) in C6D6 versus 1990 cm-1 in
[HIPTN3N]Mo(N2) in C6D6. Only two Mo-Namido π bonds
can form in [HIPTN3N]Mo(N2), since the combination of p
orbitals on the amido nitrogens that has A2 symmetry in C3v
point group is ligand-centered and nonbonding. Since the
pyrrolyl lone pair is part of the six π electron aromatic system
in the pyrrolide, the pyrrolyl ligand has little ability to πbond to
the metal through the pyrrolyl nitrogen and therefore only two
MoNamido π interactions can form in a [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]3-
complex also. The [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]3- and [HIPTN3N]3-
systems turn out to be similar electronically, at least in terms of
the degree of activation of dinitrogen.
An important question is whether the reduced π backbond-
ing ability of the metal in a [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo complex itself is
enough to doom catalytic reduction of dinitrogen. One im-
portant step is the exchange of ammonia in the Mo(III)
complex with dinitrogen. We have shown (Figure 9) that the
{[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)}0/- redox couple can be observed
upon reduction of {[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(NH3)}þ, thereby ver-
ifying that [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(NH3) is converted readily into
[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2). However, evidence suggests that the
position of the equilibrium between [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(NH3)
and [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2) does not lie as far toward the
dinitrogen complex as it does in the [HIPTN3N]Mo system, a
finding that is consistent with the slightly poorer backbonding
ability of the metal in the [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo system. On the
whole, it seems that poorer backbonding ability alone is not the
primary problem.
kcal mol ,
-1 14 inclusion of the entropy term brings down the
value for the free energy difference down to as little as half
that.13 Therefore the naked species cannot be discounted as an
intermediate on the basis of either experimental data or
calculations. The pressure dependence of the dinitrogen ex-
change [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(14N2) is proposed to arise through
an associative mechanism involving a six-coordinate transition
state, a transition state made possible as a consequence of a
decrease in steric hindrance around the metal center.
It is unfortunate that complexes that contain a diamido-
pyrrolyl ligand in which Ar is HIPT and Ar0 is 2,4,6-i-
Pr3C6H2 (Figure 2) proved too soluble to isolate. It still
seems possible that catalytic turnover could be observed in
the right steric circumstances. Whether such a diamidopyr-
rolyl ligand could produce a more efficient catalyst of course
is unknown.
Experimental Section
General Procedures. All air and moisture sensitive compounds
were handled under N2 atmosphere using standard Schlenk and
glovebox techniques, with flame or oven-dried glassware. Ether,
pentane, and toluene were purged with nitrogen and passed
through activated alumina columns. Dichloromethane was dis-
tilled from a CaH2 suspension. Pentane was freeze-pump-thaw
degassed three times and THF, benzene, tetramethylsilane, ben-
zene-d6, THF-d4, and toluene-d8 were distilled from dark purple
Na/benzophenone ketyl solutions. Ether and dichloromethane
were stored over molecular sieves in solvent bottles in a nitro-
gen-filled glovebox while pentane, THF, PhF, benzene, benzene-
d6, THF-d4 and toluene-d8 were stored in Teflon-sealed solvent
More problematic in terms of catalytic reduction, we pro-
pose, is the apparent instability of [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo-Nd
NH. All efforts to prepare or even observe [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]-
Mo-NdNH in solution have failed so far. That instability
may not be surprising, since in triamidoamine systems where
dinitrogen is not reduced catalytically, the Mo-NdNH
˚
bulbs. Molecular sieves (4 A) and Celite were activated at 230 °C
in vacuo over several days. (Me3Si)2NLi (Strem) was sublimed,
while (Me3Si)2NNa (Aldrich) was recrystallized from THF.
[ZnCl2(dioxane)]x was prepared by dissolution in diethyl ether
and adding 1 equiv of 1,4-dioxane to give. MoCl5 (Strem) was
used as obtained, unless indicated otherwise. MoCl4(THF)2,26
(25) (a) Chaney, A. L.; Marbach, E. P. Clinical Chem. 1962, 8, 130.
(b) Weatherburn, M. W. Anal. Chem. 1967, 39, 971.
(26) Stoffelbach, F.; Saurenz, D.; Poli, R. Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 2001, 10,
2699.

Article
Inorganic Chemistry, Vol. 49, No. 17, 2010 7913
Mo(NMe2)4,27 2-mesityl-1H-pyrrole3 were synthesized as refer-
enced. 1-Bromo-3,5-dimethylbenzene and 1-bromo-3,5-di-tert-bu-
tylbenzene were obtained from Sigma Aldrich; 1-bromo-3,5-di-
tert-butylbenzene also was synthesized as reported in the litera-
ture.28-30 IR spectra were recorded on a Nicolet Avatar 360 FT-IR
spectrometer in 0.2 mm KBr solution cells. NMR spectra were
recorded on a Varian Mercury or Varian Inova spectrometer
(d), -162.8 (t), -164.7 (t). Anal. Calcd for C32H29F10MoN5: C,
49.95; H, 3.80; N, 9.10. Found: C, 49.67; H, 3.90; N, 9.22.
[(C6F5N)2Pyr]MoCl. Under a N2 atmosphere, a 20 mL
scintillation vial equipped with a stir bar was charged with
MoCl4(THF)2 (1.191 g, 3.092 mmol), [Mes(C6F5)2]H3 (2000
mg, 3.162 mmol), and THF (5 mL). The reaction mixture turned
from an orange suspension to an orange-red solution. The
mixture was stirred for 30 min and LiNTMS2 (1.587 g, 9.484
mmol) was added, which led to a darkening of the mixture to
magenta. After stirring the mixture for another 30 min, the
volatiles were removed in vacuo, the mixture extracted with
toluene, and the extract was filtered through Celite. The product
was recrystallized from toluene and pentane at -35 °C and
collected on a glass frit; yield 0.989 g (42%): 1H NMR (C6D6) δ
41.03 (s), 12.38 (s), 8.31 (s), 6.84 (s), 6.02 (s), 5.23 (s), 4.34-2.91
(m), 2.12 (s), 1.80 (s), 1.27 (s), 0.88 (s), 0.30 (s), 0.01 (s), -1.21(s),
-20.04 (s), -78.50 (s), -92.10 (s); 19F NMR (C6D6) δ -71.02 (s),
-96.37 (s), -121.893 (s), -122.80 (s), -148.27 (s). HRMS
(ESI m/z): Calcd for C30H23F10N4MoClNaþ: 785.0405, found
785.0412.
1
operating at 300 or 500 MHz (1H), respectively. H and 13C
NMR spectra are referenced to the residual 1H or 13C peaks of the
solvent. 19F NMR spectra were referenced externally to fluoro-
benzene (-113.15 ppm upfield of CFCl3). HRMS was performed
on a Bruker Daltonics APEXIV 4.7 T Fourier Transform Ion
Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometer at the MIT Depart-
ment of Chemistry Instrumentation Facility. Combustion
analyses were performed by Midwest Microlabs, Indianapolis,
Indiana, U.S.
H3[(C6F5N)2Pyr]. A 40 mL scintillation vial equipped with a
stirbar was charged with N1-(perfluorophenyl)-N2-(2-(perflu-
orophenylamino)ethyl)ethane-1,2-diamine (1.918 g, 4.4 mmol).
To formaldehyde (35 wt %, 0.372 mL) was added HCl (5 μL of
12N). THF (1 mL) was added to the formaldehyde mixture,
which was then transferred to the 40 mL scintillation vial. To the
vial was added THF (2 mL) and isopropanol (2 mL). The
mixture was stirred for 20 min, and the reaction mixture added
to a vial charged with 2-mesitylpyrrole (0.807 g, 4.4 mmol). The
mixture was stirred at RT for 16 h, then washed with 10% KOH
solution (40 mL), and extracted with diethyl ether. The extract
was dried over Na2SO4, the volatiles were removed in vacuo,
and the residue was purified by column chromatography using
9: 1 hexanes/ethyl acetate as the eluent. The desired product is
the second product from the column, with an Rf value of 0.158;
yield 0.1545 g (55%): 1H NMR (500 MHz CDCl3) δ 7.97 (s, 1H,
pyrrole NH), 6.92 (s, 2H, Mes 3,5-H), 6.13 (t, 1H, pyrrole -CH),
5.96 (t, 1H, pyrrole -CH), 4.08 (s, 2H, amine NH), 3.72 (s, 2H,
C-CH2-N), 3.35 (q, 4H, C6F5NHCH2), 2.78 (q, 4H,
C6F5NHCH2CH2), 2.32 (s, 3H, Mes 4-CH3), 2.09 (s, 6H, Mes
2,6 -CH3); 13C NMR (126 MHz CDCl3): δ 139.2, 138.2, 137.8,
137.2, 134.7, 132.7, 130.3, 129.8, 128.3, 127.0, 124.0, 108.9,
108.7, 53.9, 51.8, 43.8, 21.2, 20.6 19F NMR (282 MHz, CDCl3):
δ -159.8 (d, JFF = 20.0 Hz, 2,6 -F), -164.1 (t, JFF = 21.2 Hz,
3,5 -F), -171.3 (tt, JFF = 5.3, 21.9 Hz, 4 -F) HRMS (ESI m/z):
Calcd for C30H27F10N4þ 633.207, found 633.2056.
[(C6F5N)2Pyr]MoOTf. Under a N2 atmosphere, a scintilla-
tion vial was charged with [Mes(C6F5)2]MoCl (100 mg, 0.131
mmol), AgOTf (33.6 mg, 0.131 mmol) and CH2Cl2 (5 mL). The
mixture was stirred overnight at RT and then filtered through
Celite. All volatiles were removed in vacuo. The orange-red
product was recrystallized from a mixture of toluene, pentane
and CH2Cl2; yield 47.5 mg (42%): 1H NMR (C6D6) δ 39.86 (s),
14.85 (s), 12.07 (s), 7.12 (s), 7.06 (s), 7.05 (s), 7.01 (s), 6.35 (s), 4.72
(br s), 2.06 (s), 1.30 -1.24 (m), -21.47 (s), -85.28 (br s), -108.85
(br s). Anal. Calcd for C31H23F13MoN4O3S: C, 42.58; H, 2.65;
N, 6.41. Found: C, 42.40; H, 2.79; N, 6.25.
[(C6F5N)2Pyr]MoN. Under a N2 atmosphere, a 25 mL solvent
bulb was charged with [(C6F5N)2Pyr ]MoCl (200 mg, 0.263
mmol), NaN3 (13.6 mg, 0.118 mmol), and acetonitrile (5 mL).
The reaction mixture was heated at 70 °C for 72 h. The volatiles
were removed in vacuo, and the residue was extracted with
toluene and filtered through Celite. Diamagnetic yellow-brown
needle-like crystals were deposited after standing the filtrate at
-35 °C overnight and collected on a glass frit; yield 103 mg
(53%): 1H NMR (C6D6) δ 6.86 (s, 2H, mesityl 3,5-H), 6.25 (d,
1H, pyrrole H), 6.20 (d, 1H, pyrrole H), 3.35 (s, 2H, NCH2), 3.25
(quintet, 2H, (NCH(H)CH2)3N), 3.04 (quintet, 2H, (NCH(H)-
CH2)3N), 2.48 (s, mesityl 2,6-CH3), 2.25 (quintet, 2H,
(NCH2CH(H))3N), 2.18 (quintet, 2H, (NCH2CH(H))3N), 1.92
(s, 3H, mesityl 4-CH3); 13C NMR (C6D6) δ 142.8, 142.5, 140.9,
139.9, 139.0, 139.0 (overlapping), 137.9, 137.8, 137.2, 136.9,
135.1, 133.6, 128.4, 128.1, 111.2, 108.3, 58.3, 51.3, 51.0, 21.1,
21.0, 21.0; 19F NMR (C6D6) δ -150.18 (dd, 1F), -150.40 (t, 1F),
-159.44 (t, 1F), -163.63 (d, 1F), -163.60 (d, 1F, overlapping).
Anal. Calcd for C30H23F10MoN5: C, 48.73; H, 3.14; N, 9.47.
Found: C, 48.51; H, 3.28; N, 9.48.
[(C6F5N)2Pyr]Mo(NMe2). Under a N2 atmosphere, a 20 mL
scintillation vial was charged with Mo(NMe2)4 (671.8 mg, 2.468
mmol) and [Mes(C6F5)2]H3 (1.338 g, 2.115 mmol) and toluene
(15 mL). The reaction mixture rapidly turned dark blue (from
deep purple) and eventually became emerald green. It was
stirred for approximately 48 h at RT, with the vial periodically
uncapped to facilitate loss of HNMe2. The solvent was de-
creased to approximately 5 mL, and pentane (approximately
2 mL) was added. The reaction mixture was then left at -35 °C
overnight and the product collected on a glass frit as a dark
green solid; yield 1.347 g (83%): 1H NMR (toluene-d8) δ 6.77 (s,
2H, mesityl 3,5-H), 6.11 (d, 1H, pyrrole -H), 6.02 (d, 1H, pyrrole,
-H), 3.76 (s, 2H, -NCH2), 3.72 (quintet, 2H, -C6F5NCH(H)),
3.23 (quintet, 2H, -C6F5NCH(H)), 2.97 (quintet, 2H,
C6F5NCH2CH(H)), 2.63 (quintet, 2H, -C6F5NCH2CH(H)),
2.55 (s, 6H, -N(CH3)2), 2.17 (s, 3H, mesityl 4-CH3), 2.04 (s,
6H, mesityl 2,6-CH3); 13C NMR (toluene-d8): δ 143.6, 139.7,
137.2, 136.9, 135.2, 129.6, 128.9, 128.8, 128.6 125.8, 113.2, 105.7,
66.2, 61.2, 55.9, 55.1, 21.6, 21.5; 19F NMR (toluene-d8) δ -148.0
(3,5-t-Bu2C6H3NCH2CH2)2NH. Under a N2 atmosphere, a
1 L Schlenk flask was charged with 3,5-di-tert-butylbromoben-
zene (20.78 g, 77.2 mmol), CuI (0.646 g, 3.6 mmol), N,N-
diethylsalicylamide (2.82 g, 14.6 mmol), K3PO4 (30.54 g, 143.9
mmol), and a magnetic stirbar. DMF (70 mL) was added and the
resulting suspension was stirred for 30-45 min. Diethylene
triamine (3.71 g, 36.0 mmol) was added and washed in with
DMF (30 mL). The reaction flask was then heated to 90 °C for
36 h with stirring. The initially blue-green mixture turns brown
with concomitant formation of reddish Cu powder as the
mixture is heated after approximately 2 h. The mixture was
allowed to cool to RT, then aqueous NH3 (100 mL) and H2O
(300 mL) were added with stirring. The mixture was extracted
with CH2Cl2 (4ꢀ 200 mL), and the organic layers were dried
over Na2SO4. The product was purified via column chromatog-
raphy first eluting with 4:1 Hexanes/Ethyl acetate and then
subsequently with diethyl ether. Care was taken to limit expo-
sure of the product to O2. The product was obtained as a yellow
(27) Bradley, D. C.; Chisholm, M. H. J. Chem. Soc. A 1971, 2741.
(28) Ditto, S. R.; Card, R. J.; Davis, P. D.; Neckers, D. C. J. Org. Chem.
1979, 44, 894.
(29) Frampton, M. J.; Akdas, H.; Cowley, A. R.; Rogers, J. E.; Slagle,
J. E.; Fleitz, P. A.; Drobizhev, M.; Rebane, A.; Anderson, H. L. Org. Lett.
2005, 7, 5365.
(30) Nomura, N.; Ishii, R.; Yamamoto, Y.; Kondo, T. Chem.—Eur. J.
2007, 13, 4433.

7914 Inorganic Chemistry, Vol. 49, No. 17, 2010
Chin et al.
1
oil; yield 12.44 g (72%): H NMR (C6D6) 7.022 (2H, s, Aryl
N,N-dimethyl-1-(5-(2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl)-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)-
methanamine. A 100 mL round-bottom flask was charged with
Me2NH2Cl (1.592 g, 19.52 mmol), formaldehyde (1.670 mL,
37% solution in water, 20.58 mmol), and isopropanol (10 mL).
The mixture was stirred for approximately 30 min. 2-(2,4,6-
Triisopropylphenyl)-1H-pyrrole (5.260 g, 19.52 mmol) was then
added, and the mixture was stirred for approximately 70 h at
40 °C. A 300 mL portion of 10% KOH solution was added, and
the mixture stirred for 30 min. Volatiles were removed in vacuo,
and 200 mL of water was added. The mixture was extracted
three times with CH2Cl2 (200 mL), and the organic layer was
dried over Na2SO4. Volatiles were removed in vacuo, and the
residue was used without further purification: yield 4.35 g
4-H), 6.589 (4H, s, Aryl 2,6-H), 3.776 (2H, ArNH), 2.986 (4H, t,
ArNHCH2), 2.509 (4H, t, ArNHCH2CH2), 1.374 (36H, s, -C-
(CH3)3) HRMS (ESI, m/z): Calcd for C32H54N3þ: 480.4312,
found 480.4294.
(3,5-Me2C6H3NCH2CH2)2NH. A 300 mL Schlenk flask was
charged with CuI (0.4507 g, 2.4 mmol), N,N-diethylsalicylamide
(1.826 g, 9.5 mmol), K3PO4 (20.07 g, 94.5 mmol), and DMF (50
mL). The mixture was stirred for 30 min. 1-Bromo-3,5-di-
methylbenzene (10.0 g, 54.4 mmol) was added, and the mixture
was stirred for 5 min before subsequent addition of diethylene
triamine (2.44 g, 23.6 mmol) was added and washed in with
DMF (30 mL). The reaction flask was then heated to 90 °C for
96 h with stirring. The initially blue-green mixture turns brown
with concomitant formation of reddish Cu powder as the
mixture is heated after approximately 2 h. The mixture was
allowed to cool to RT, then aqueous NH3 (100 mL) and water
(200 mL) were added with stirring. The mixture was extracted
with ethyl acetate (4ꢀ 200 mL) and the organic layers were dried
over Na2SO4. The product was purified via column chromatog-
raphy first eluting with Et2O to remove impurities and then
THF. The product was obtained as a brown-yellow oil; yield
7.200 g (98%): 1H NMR (C6D6) δ 6.442 (2H, s, xylyl 4-H), 6.268
(4H, s, xylyl 2,6-H), 3.791 (2H, br s, ArNHCH2), 2.903 (4H, t,
ArNHCH2), 2.448 (4H, t, ArNHCH2CH2). HRMS (ESI, m/z):
Calcd for C20H30N3þ: 312.2434, found 312.2442.
1
(68%): H NMR (CDCl3) δ 8.206 (1H, s, pyrrole -NH), 7.037
(2H, s, aryl 3,5-H), 6.069 (1H, t, JHH = 3.0 Hz, pyrrole C-H),
5.953 (1H, t, JHH = 3.0 Hz, pyrrole C-H), 3.465 (2H, s, -CH2),
2.927 (1H, septet, JHH = 6.7 Hz, 4-CHMe2), 2.789 (2H, septet,
JHH = 6.7 Hz, 2,6-CHMe2), 2.223 (6H, s, -N(CH3)2) ppm; 13
C
NMR (CDCl3) δ 149.6, 149.1, 129.4, 128.7, 128.3, 120.6, 108.7,
108.3, 56.8, 45.0, 34.6, 30.7, 24.7, 24.3. ppm HRMS (ESI, m/z):
Calcd for C22H33N2- 325.2659. Found 325.2650.
1-(5-(2,4,6-Triisopropylphenyl)-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)-N,N-trimethyl-
ammonium iodide. A 250 mL round-bottom flask was charged
with 1-(5-(2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl)-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)-N,N-di-
methylmethanamine (3.950 g, 12.098 mmol) and THF (150
mL). A vial with a septum sealed cap was charged with MeI
(1.717 g, 12.098 mmol) and THF (15 mL). The contents of the
vial were syringed out and added slowly to the stirring solution
of 1-(5-(2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl)-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)-N,N-dimethyl-
methanamine. The reaction mixture was stirred for 1 h at RT,
during which a very thick white suspension formed. The white
precipitate was collected on a glass frit, washed with THF, and
recrystallized from acetone; yield 3.12 g (55%): 1H NMR
(CDCl3) δ 10.05 (1H, s, pyrrole -NH), 7.02 (2H, s, mesityl 3,5-
H3[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]. Under N2 atmosphere, a 500 mL Schlenk
flask was charged with (3,5,-Me2C6H3NHCH2CH2)2NH (12.44 g,
25.9 mmol), 1-(5-mesityl-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)-N,N-trimethylammo-
nium iodide (2) (9.848 g, 25.6 mmol), K2CO3 (35.88 g, 259.6 mmol)
and THF (250 mL). The reaction was heated to 50 °C for 72 h, with
the flask periodically vented to an atmosphere of N2. The mixture
was cooled to RT, then filtered and extracted with Et2O. The
volatiles were removed in vacuo, and the resulting mixture was
purified via column chromatography using 4:1 hexanes/ethyl acet-
ate as the eluent; yield 10.44 g (60%): 1HNMR(C6D6) δ7.325 (1H,
s, pyrrole N-H), 7.009 (2H, t, JHH=1.7 Hz, Aryl 4-H), 6.834 (2H, s,
mesityl 3,5-H), 6.596 (4H, d, JHH=1.7 Hz, Aryl 2,6-H), 6.214 (1H,
dd (apparent triplet), pyrrole CH), 6.087 (1H, dd (apparent triplet),
pyrrole CH), 3.867 (2H, s, ArylNH), 3.413 (2H, s, pyrroleCH2N),
3.041 (4H, t, JHH = 5.8 Hz, ArylNHCH2), 2.498 (4H, t, JHH = 5.8
Hz, ArylNHCH2CH2), 2.187, 2.181 (overlapping, 12H, s, mesityl
2,4,6-CH3), 1.285 (36H, s, Aryl 3,5-C(CH3)3). 13C NMR (C6D6): δ
152.18, 148.05, 138.70, 137.67, 131.784, 130.223, 128.827, 128.68,
128.29, 112.57, 109.39, 108.94, 108.45, 53.46, 52.33, 42.62, 35.3þ5,
H), 6.42 (1H, t, JHH = 2.9 Hz, pyrrole C-H), 6.01 (1H, t, JHH
=
2.9 Hz, pyrrole C-H), 5.20 (2H, s, -CH2), 3.30 (9H, s, N(CH3)3),
2.92 (1H, septet, JHH = 6.6 Hz, 4-CHMe2), 2.60 (2H, septet,
JHH = 6.6 Hz, 2,6-CHMe2), 1.30 (6H, d, JHH = 7.1 Hz,
4-CH(CH3)2), 1.15 (6H, d, JHH = 7.1 Hz, 2,6-CH(CH3)2),
1.12 (6H, d, JHH = 7.1 Hz, 2,6-CH(CH3)2) ppm; 13C NMR
(CDCl3) δ 149.6, 149.2, 133.6, 127.5, 120.8, 116.9, 114.8, 110.4,
62.4, 52.4, 34.5, 30.9, 25.1, 24.3, 24.2 ppm HRMS (ESI, m/z):
Calcd for C23H37N2- 341.2951. Found 341.2937.
H3(HIPTN)2(TRIPpyr). A 100 mL round-bottom flask was
charged with N1-HIPT-N2-(2-(HIPT)ethyl)ethane-1,2-diamine
(1.194 g, 1.121 mmol), 1-(5-(2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl)-1H-
pyrrol-2-yl)-N,N-trimethylammonium iodide (0.525 g, 1.121
mmol), and K2CO3 (1.2 g, 8.682 mmol). The flask was purged
with N2, and the reaction mixture stirred overnight at RT under
N2. The product was purified by column chromatography and
eluted with 2:1 hexanes/ethyl acetate; yield 0.7893 g (52%): 1H
NMR (CDCl3) δ 7.87 (1H, s, pyrrole -NH), 7.01 (2H, s, TRIP
aryl 3,5-H), 7.01 (8H, HIPT aryl 3,5,300,500-H), 6.39 (4H, d,
HIPT aryl 20,60-H), 6.37 (2H, t, HIPT aryl 40-H), 6.08 (1H, t,
32.15, 21.52, 21.32. HRMS (ESI, m/z): Calcd for C46H67N4
:
677.5517, found 677.5504
H3[(ArMeN)2Pyr]. A 500 mL flask was charged with (3,5,-
Me2C6H3NHCH2CH2)2NH (7.20 g, 23.1 mmol), 2 (8.80 g, 22.9
mmol), Cs2CO3 (16.78 g, 2.3 mmol), and THF. The flask was
stoppered with a cap equipped with a needle to prevent pressure
build-up. The reaction mixture was stirred for 48 h at 70 °C. The
volatiles were removed in vacuo, and the mixture extracted with
Et2O and filtered. The volatiles were removed in vacuo, and the
resulting oil purified via column chromatography (3:1 hexanes/
ethyl acetate as eluent) to produce a viscous yellow oil; yield
JHH = 2.9 Hz, pyrrole C-H), 5.96 (1H, t, JHH = 2.9 Hz, pyrrole
C-H), 3.92 (2H, t, JHH = 5.1 Hz, NHCH2CH2), 3.75 (2H, s,
NCH2C), 3.20 (4H, q, JHH = 5.8 Hz, NHCH2CH2N), 2.92 (4H,
sept, JHH = 7.0 Hz, HIPT 4,400-CHMe2), 2.91 (1H, sept, JHH
=
1
4.181 g (36%): H NMR (C6D6) δ 7.540 (1H, s, pyrrole NH),
6.823 (2H, s, Aryl 4-H), 6.393 (2H, s, mesityl 3,5-H), 6.227 (4H,
s, Aryl 2,6-H), 6.201 (1H, t, JHH = 2.6 Hz, pyrrole-H), 6.081
(1H, t, JHH = 2.6 Hz, pyrrole-H), 3.691 (2H, s, ArylNH), 3.342
(2H, s, pyrroleCH2N), 2.864 (4H, t, JHH=5.4 Hz, ArylNHCH2),
2.356 (4H, t, JHH = 5.4 Hz, ArylNHCH2CH2), 2.203 (12H, s,
Aryl 3,5-CH3), 2.198 (3H, s, mesityl 4-CH3), 2.158 (6H, s,
mesityl 2,6-CH3); 13C NMR (C6D6) δ 149.10, 138.83, 138.41,
137.22, 131.46, 129.94 (quaternary carbons, 1 carbon overlap-
ping with C6D6); 128.48, 119.94, 111.43, 108.75, 108.53 (tertiary
carbons), 52.96, 51.75, 41.88 (secondary carbons), 21.74,
21.20, 20.94 (primary carbons). HRMS (ESI, m/z): Calcd for
C34H45N4þ 509.3639; found 509.3640.
7.0 Hz, TRIP 4-CHMe2), 2.81 (12H, sept, JHH = 6.9 Hz, HIPT
2,6,200,600 -CHMe2 overlapping with NHCH2CH2N), 2.73 (2H,
sept, JHH = 6.9 Hz, TRIP 2,6-CHMe2), 1.29 (28H, d, JHH = 6.7
Hz, HIPT 4,400-CH(CH3)2, TRIP 4-CH(CH3)2), 1.12 (24H, d,
JHH = 6.7 Hz, HIPT 2,6,200,600-CH(CH3)2), 1.08 (12H, d, JHH
=
6.7 Hz, TRIP 2,6-CH(CH3)2), 1.04 (24H, d, JHH = 6.7 Hz,
HIPT 2,6,200,600-CH(CH3)2) ppm; 13C NMR (126 MHz CDCl3)
δ 149.5, 147.6, 147.3, 146.5, 141.6, 137.5, 129.0, 128.8, 126.9,
121.5, 120.7, 120.5, 112.5, 109.2, 108.4, 52.7, 51.1, 41.6, 34.6,
30.8, 30.4, 24.7, 24.4, 24.3, 24.2 ppm. HRMS (ESI, m/z) cald for
C96H137N4þ: 1347.0917, found 1347.0863.

Article
[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(NMe2). In a N2 atmosphere glovebox, a
Inorganic Chemistry, Vol. 49, No. 17, 2010 7915
1
yield 28.5 mg (20%): H NMR (THF-d8) δ 7.303 (4H, s, Aryl
25 mL solvent bulb equipped with a PTFE screw valve was
charged with H3[(Art-BuN)2Pyr] (635 mg, 0.938 mmol) and
Mo(NMe2)4 (313 mg, 1.15 mmol) and toluene. The reaction
mixture turned from purple to ultramarine blue within a couple
of hours, but was left to stir at RT overnight. The mixture was
brought back into the glovebox and volatiles were removed in
vacuo. The desired product was purified via recrystallization
from pentane/toluene at -35 °C giving a bright teal blue
2,6-H), 6.927 (2H, s, Aryl 4-H), 6.627 (2H, s, mesityl 3,5-H),
5.983 (1H, d, JHH = 3.0 Hz, pyrrole-CH), 5.852 (1H, d, JHH =
3.0 Hz, pyrrole-CH), 3.926 (2H, dt, ArylNCH2CH2N), 3.861
(2H, dt, ArylNCH2CH2N), 3.603 (2H, dt, overlapping with
solvent peak, ArylNCH2CH2N), 3.482 (2H, s, overlapping with
1
15-c-5 H peak, pyrrolylCH2N), 3.409 (20H, s, 15-crown-5
-OCH2CH2O-), 2.497 (2H, t, JHH = 5.7 Hz, ArylNCH2CH2N),
2.174 (3H, s, mesityl 4-CH3), 2.126 (6H, s, mesityl 2,6-CH3),
1.230 (36H, s, Aryl 3,5-C(CH3)3). IR (THF) νNN 1855 cm-1
.
1
diamagnetic powder; yield 588 mg (77.0%): H NMR (C6D6)
Anal. Calcd for C56H85N6MoNaO5: C, 64.60; H, 8.23; N, 8.07.
Found: C, 64.59; H, 8.10; N, 7.98.
δ 7.178 (2H, s, Aryl 4-H), 6.938 (2H, s, mesityl 3,5-H), 6.553 (4H,
s, Aryl 2,6-H), 6.283 (1H, d, JHH = 2.8 Hz, pyrrole CH), 6.266
(1H, d, JHH = 2.8 Hz, pyrrole CH), 3.963 (2H, dt, ArNCH2-
CH2), 3.828 (2H, s, pyrroleCH2N), 3.813 (2H, dt, ArNCH2-
CH2), 3.200 (2H, dt, ArNCH2CH2), 3.006 (6H, s, MoN(CH3)2),
2.749 (2H, dt, ArNCH2CH2), 2.261 (6H, s, mesityl 2,6-CH3),
2.239 (3H, s, mesityl 4-CH3), 1.288 (36H, s, Aryl 3,5-C(CH3)3).
Anal. Calcd for C48H71N5Mo: C, 70.82; H, 8.79; N, 8.60.
Found: C, 70.47; H, 8.41; N, 8.46.
[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]MoCl. In a N2 atmosphere glovebox, a 20 mL
scintillation vial was charged with H3[(Art-BuN)2Pyr] (890 mg,
1.3 mmol) and THF (10 mL). The solution was stirred for 5 min
to ensure complete dissolution of the ligand. MoCl4(THF)2
(515.6 mg, 1.4 mmol) was added very slowly with stirring over
the course of 30 min. The resulting dark brown solution was
stirred for 40 min at RT. NaN(TMS)2 (770.2 mg, 4.2 mmol) was
added slowly over 15 min to the mixture, which turned from
brown to dark brownish orange. The mixture was stirred for 30
min, and the volatiles were removed in vacuo. The residue was
extracted with toluene, and the extract was filtered through
Celite. The toluene was removed in vacuo, and the mixture
triturated with pentane and cooled to -35 °C overnight. The
desired product was collected on a glass frit as a paramagnetic
pink-tan powder; yield 0.564 g (53%): 1H NMR (C6D6) δ 18.78
(s), 11.71 (br s), 8.20 (s), 5.94 (s), 5.20 (s), 5.10 (s, overlapping),
2.56 (s), 1.82 (36H, s, Aryl 3,5 -C(CH3)3), -24.56 (br s), -83.71
(br s), -115.23 (br s). Anal. Calcd for C46H65N4MoCl: C, 68.60;
H, 8.13; N, 6.96. Found: C, 68.62; H, 8.01; N, 6.86.
[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]MoN. In a N2 atmosphere glovebox, a 25 mL
solvent bulb equipped with a PTFE screw valve was charged
with [(ArMeN)2Pyr]MoCl (100 mg, 0.12 mmol), NaN3 (8.1 mg,
0.12 mmol), and MeCN (10 mL). The reaction mixture was
stirred at RT for 10 h, turning from orange brown to purple
overnight, with formation of a yellow precipitate. The reaction
flask was then brought out of the glovebox and heated at 80 °C
for 24 h. The flask was brought back into the glovebox, the
volatiles removed in vacuo, and the residue extracted with
toluene and filtered through Celite. The volume of the filtrate
was decreased to 5 mL and cooled to -35 °C overnight. The
resulting yellow precipitate was collected on a glass frit and
washed with cold pentane. The product obtained is a bright
yellow diamagnetic powder; yield 45 mg (46.2%): 1H NMR
(C6D6) δ 7.454 (4H, d, JHH = 1.7 Hz, Aryl 2,6-H), 7.262 (2H, t,
JHH = 1.7 Hz, Aryl 4-H), 6.913 (2H, s, mesityl 3,5-H), 6.345
(2H, s, pyrrole-H), 3.594 (2H, dt, ArylNCH2CH2), 3.561 (2H,
dt, ArylNCH2CH2), 3.531 (2H, s, pyrroleCH2N), 2.437 (6H, s,
mesityl 2,6-CH3), 2.338 (2H, dt, ArylNCH2CH2), 2.278 (3H, s,
mesityl 4-CH3), 2.261 (2H, dt, ArylNCH2CH2), 1.318 (36H, s,
Aryl 3,5-C(CH3)3). Anal. Calcd for C46H65N5Mo: C, 70.47; H,
8.36; N, 8.93. Found: C, 70.47; H, 8.44; N, 9.02.
{[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)}Na(15-crown-5). In a N2 atmo-
sphere glovebox, a 20 mL scintillation vial was charged with
{[(3,5-t-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)}Na(THF)x (150 mg, ∼ 0.15 mmol)
and Et2O (5 mL). A separate vial was charged with 15-crown-5
ether (33 mg, 0.15 mmol) and Et2O (5 mL). Both vials were
chilled at -35 °C for 1 h, then the solution of the crown ether was
slowly added with stirring to the diazenide solution. An im-
mediate color change is observed, from orange-red to green. The
diamagnetic lilac solid was recrystallized from THF at -35 °C;
{[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2)}(n-Bu)4N. In a N2 atmosphere glo-
vebox, a 20 mL scintillation vial was charged with 5a (700 mg,
0.87 mmol), Na (45.9 mg, 2.00 mmol), and THF (10 mL). The
reaction mixture was stirred for 12 h at RT with a glass stirbar,
with a concomitant color change from orange red to dark purple
to red. The mixture as filtered through Celite and NBu4Cl
(TBACl) (252.9 mg, 1.04 mmol) was added. The mixture turned
orange, then dark green after stirring for 40 h at RT. Volatiles
were removed in vacuo, then the residue was extracted with
toluene and filtered through Celite. The filtrate was decreased in
vacuo, with a color change from green to purple. The solution
was chilled at -35 °C overnight, and the resulting diamagnetic
lavender powder was collected on a glass frit; yield 550 mg
(61%): 1H NMR (C6D6) δ 7.331 (4H, s, Aryl 2,6-H), 7.057 (2H,
s, mesityl 3,5-H), 6.962 (2H, s, Aryl 4-H), 6.771 (1H, d, JHH
=
2.9 Hz, pyrrole-H), 6.735 (1H, d, JHH = 2.9 Hz, pyrrole-H),
4.018 (2H, dt, ArylNHCH2CH2), 3.849 (2H, dt, ArylNHCH2-
CH2), 3.481 (2H, s, pyrroleCH2N), 2.740 (6H, s, mesityl 2,6-
CH3), 2.399 (3H, s, mesityl 4-CH3), 2.382 (2H, dt, ArylNHCH2-
CH2), 2.252 (2H, dt, ArylNHCH2CH2), 2.136 (8H, m, N-
(CH2CH2CH2CH3)4), 1.490 (36H, s, Aryl 3,5-C(CH3)3), 0.996
(8H, m, N(CH2CH2CH2CH3)4), 0.755 (20H, m, N(CH2CH2-
CH2CH3)4). IR (C6D6) νNN 1840 cm-1
.
[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2). In a N2 atmosphere glovebox, a
20 mL scintillation vial was charged with [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]MoCl
(1.431 g, 1.78 mmol), Na (94 mg, 4.09 mmol), and THF (10 mL).
The reaction mixture was stirred for 12 h at RT with a glass stirbar,
then filtered through Celite. AgOTf (457 mg, 1.78 mmol) was
added, and the reaction mixture stirred in the dark for 12 h at RT.
Volatiles were removed in vacuo, and the residue was extracted with
toluene and filtered through Celite. The filtrate was reduced to 5
mL, and pentane (5 mL) was added. The solution was left at -35 °C
overnight, and the resulting paramagnetic reddish-pink precipitate
was collected on a glass frit, washed with cold pentane, and dried;
1
yield 746 mg (53%): H NMR (C6D6) δ 21.855 (2H, br s,
ArylNCH2CH2N), 21.044 (2H, br s, ArylNCH2CH2N), 18.526
(2H, br s), 15.909 (2H, br s, ArylNCH2CH2N), 14.900 (2H, br s,
ArylNCH2CH2N), 8.214 (2H, s), 2.500 (2H, s), 0.601 (36H, br s,
Aryl 3,5-C(CH3)3), -4.423 (6H, br s, mesityl 2,6-CH3), -7.235
(3H, br s, mesityl 4-CH3), -23.100 (2H, br s), -42.300 (4H, br s).
15
IR (C6D6) νNN 2012 cm-1 (C6D6), ν15
Anal. Calcd for C46H65N6Mo: C, 69.24; H, 8.21; N, 10.53. Found:
1944 cm-1 (C6D6).
N
N
C, 69.03; H, 8.46; N, 10.18.
{[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(NH3)}BPh4. In a N2 atmosphere glove-
box, a 100 mL solvent bulb equipped with a PTFE screw valve
was charged with [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]MoCl (622.5 mg, 0.77 mmol),
NaBPh4 (290.9 mg, 0.85 mmol) and PhF (15 mL). The bulb was
brought out of the glovebox, and freeze-pump-thaw degassed
three times. Anhydrous NH3 (100 mL, 1 atm) which was dried
over Na was vacuum transferred into the degassed solvent bulb
with the reaction mixture. The mixture immediately changed
from orange-red to burgundy. The reaction was stirred for 12 h
at RT. The bulb was brought back into the glovebox, and the
volatiles were removed in vacuo. The residue was extracted with
toluene and filtered through Celite. The filtrate was cooled to
-35 °C overnight, then filtered through a glass frit to remove a
dark reddish solid. The volume of the resulting yellow-brown

7916 Inorganic Chemistry, Vol. 49, No. 17, 2010
Chin et al.
filtrate was decreased to 5 mL, and pentane (15 mL) was added
to precipitate a yellow brown solid. The mixture was chilled to
-35 °C for 1 h and then filtered through a glass frit to collect the
paramagnetic yellow solid; yield 268 mg (32%): 1H NMR
(THF-d8) δ 33.011 (br s), 30.208 (br s), 9.971 (br s), 7.301 (2H,
s, Aryl 4-H), 7.215 (4H, s, Aryl 2,6-H), 6.821 (4H, s) 6.691 (2H, s,
pyrrole-H), 5.885 (br s), 4.848 (br s), 1.635 (s, Aryl 3,5-C(CH3)3),
-24.605 (br s), -91.744 (br s). Anal. Calcd for C70H88BMoN5:
C, 76.00; H, 8.02; N, 6.33. Found: C, 75.60; H, 7.90; N, 6.34.
[(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(CO). In a N2 atmosphere glovebox, a 100
mL solvent bulb equipped with a PTFE screw valve was charged
with [(Art-BuN)2Pyr]Mo(N2) (250 mg, 0.313 mmol) and benzene.
Outside the glovebox, the bulb was freeze-pump-thaw degassed
three times, and then CO (1 atm, 100 mL) was vac-transferred into
this bulb from another bulb kept at -78 °C (to freeze out water
vapor that may be present in the CO gas). The mixture was warmed
to RT and stirred over 12 h. The reaction mixture was brought
back into the N2 atmosphere glovebox whereby benzene was
removed in vacuo and toluene added to the residue. The toluene
solution was chilled at -35 °C overnight, and the resulting
paramagnetic green-brown precipitate was collected on a glass frit,
1
washed with pentane, and dried; yield 159 mg (64%): H NMR
(C6D6) δ 20.13 (2H, br s, ArylNCH2CH2N), 17.24 (2H, s, ArylN-
CH2CH2N), 13.83 (1H, s, pyrrole-H), 12.25 (2H, br s, ArylNCH2-
CH2N), 8.69(2H, s, Aryl4-H), 7.88 (4H, s, Aryl 2,6-H), 3.02 (1H, s,
pyrrole-H), 1.82 (2H, s), 0.69 (36H, br s, Aryl 3,5-C(CH3)3), -0.40
(2H, s), -3.72 (6H, s, mesityl 2,6-CH3), -7.54 (3H, br s, mesityl
4-CH3), -19.63 (2H, br s), -34.28 (2H, br s). IR (DME) νNN 1902
15
cm-1, ν15
70.74; H, 8.21; N, 7.02. Found: C, 70.99; H, 8.11; N, 6.96.
1856 cm-1. Anal. Calcd for C47H65N4MoO: C,
N
N
Acknowledgment. Research support from the National
Institutes of Health (GM 31978) is gratefully acknowledged.
Supporting Information Available: Crystal data, structure
refinement tables for all X-ray structural studies, and tables of
selected bond lengths angles. This material is available free of
charge via the Internet at http://pubs.acs.org.