Dinitrogen Bridged Gold Clusters

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Abstract
A family of dinitrogen complexes, [(LAu)6(N2)]2+ (L = a phosphine), with the dinitrogen unit bridging two clusters of three gold atoms have been prepared from hydrazine and [(LAu)3(O)]+. Structural characterization of the PPh2iPr (Ph, phenyl; iPr, isopropyl) derivative shows a nitrogen-nitrogen single-bond distance indicative of hydrazido (N24−) character for the dinitrogen unit. The complexes can be reduced and protonated to give low [13% when L = PPh2Me (Me, methyl)] to quantitative [100% when L = P(p-MeOC6H5)3] yields of ammonia, establishing that bonding of dinitrogen to six metal atoms can lead to facile cleavage of the nitrogen-nitrogen bond.