Bonding of Nitrido Ligands

Qualitative orbital diagram of the interaction between a transition metal fragment and a nitrido ligand. 

Nitrido complexes have also been formed by metathesis and atom transfer processes. The reaction of dinitrogen with a molybdenum(III) species forms a molybdenum-nitrido complex, as shown in Equation 13.103. and described in more detail in the section of Chapter 5 on dinitrogen complexes. In a metathesis process involving related complexes, the reaction of a metal-alkylid)me complex with a nitrile extrudes an alkyne to form a metal nitride fliat adopts a dimeric structure (Equation 13.104). - Related nitrido complexes have been formed from an azabicydic compoimd that eliminates anthracene after forming the M-N bond (Equation 13.105).  

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