H–H and N–H Bond Cleavage of Dihydrogen and Ammonia with a Bifunctional Parent Imido (NH)-Bridged Diiridium Complex

Hydrogenation and protonation of parent imido complexes have attracted much attention in relation to industrial and biological nitrogen fixation. The present study reports the structure and properties of the highly unsaturated diiridium parent imido complex [(Cp*Ir)2(μ2-H)(μ2-NH)]+ derived from deprotonation of a parent amido complex. Because of the Lewis acid–Brønsted base bifunctional nature of the metal–NH bond, the parent imido complex promotes heterolysis of H2 and deprotonative N–H cleavage of ammonia to afford the corresponding parent amido complexes under mild conditions.