Synthesis of Cobaltocenes Bearing 4-(2,6-Dimethylpyridin-1-ium-4-yl)phenyl Moiety and Their Stoichiometric and Catalytic Reactivity toward Ammonia Formation

Key Points

• This research aims to synthesize novel cobaltocenes and evaluate their reactivity as catalysts for ammonia formation.
• Synthesis of cobaltocenes bearing a 4-(2,6-dimethylpyridin-1-ium-4-yl)phenyl group.
• Determination of bond dissociation free energies (BDFEs) for the synthesized compounds.
• Catalytic reduction experiments of dinitrogen using synthesized cobaltocenes and a molybdenum-nitride complex.
• Synthesis yields cobaltocenes with BDFEs ranging from 34.4 to 43.0 kcal/mol.
• Successful ammonia production observed from dinitrogen reduction under ambient conditions.
• High catalytic efficiency indicated by a superstoichiometric amount of ammonia formed.