Diazene complexes conversion

The synthesis of diazene complexes has been described (Sections V,B, C, and D). It is worth reiterating that no diazene complex has been prepared via reactions of coordinated dinitrogen and no stoichiometric conversion to hydrazine or ammonia has been demonstrated. 

In contrast to their Fe(ii) congeners, Fe(i) or Fe(0) do activate N2 toward protonation. A first example was the so-called Leigh cycle, which involves the conversion of N2 to NH3 mediated by iron(O) phosphine complexes. In this context, Tyler and coworkers synthesized the complex [Fe(N2) (DMeO-PrPE)2] supported by the DMeOPrPE = l,2-bis[bis(methoxypropyl)phos-phinojethane ligand, which renders the iron-N2 complex water soluble. Based on this work, the reduction and protonation of N2 coordinated to the simpler Fe(dmpe)2 complex has been treated by DFT. In this work, three plausible mechanistic pathways were evaluated (1) symmetric protonation, where protons are added to each nitrogen in an alternating sequence proceeding through diazene and hydrazine intermediates (2) asymmetric... 

V. T. Perchyonok and Kellie L. Tuck of Monash University found (Tetrahedron Lett. 2008, 49, 4777) that a concentrated solution of Bu NCl and HjPOj in water effected free radical reductions and cyclizations. Stephane G. Ouellet of Merck Frosst demonstrated (Tetrahedron Lett. 2008, 49, 6707) that an oxazoline such as 3 could be converted to the alcohol 4 by acylation followed by reduction. Elizabeth R. Burkhardt of BASF developed (Tetrahedron I tt. 2008, 49, 5152) a protocol for scalable reductive amination using an easily metered liquid pyridine-borane complex. Mohammad Movassaghi of MIT devised (Angew. Chem. Int Ed. 2008, 47, 8909) a strategy for conversion of an allyUc carbonate 8 by way of the ally lie diazene to the terminal alkene 9. 

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