Dinitrogen coordination and cleavage promoted by a vanadium complex of a sigma,pi,sigma-donor ligand.

The deprotonation of the tripyrrole MeTPH(2) [MeTPH(2) = 2,5-[(2-pyrrolyl)(C(6)H(5))2C](2)(MeNC(4)H(2))], containing one N-methylated pyrrolyl ring, was carried out with 2 equiv of KH. The corresponding dipotassium salt reacted with VCl(3)(THF)(3) to afford the complex [(MeTP)VCl(THF)].THF (1). While the two lateral pyrrolide rings are sigma-bonded, the central one is perpendicularly oriented in a sort of pi-fashion. However, the bond distances clearly indicated that only the quaternized N atom is forming a bonding contact. Subsequent reduction of 1 with Na yielded the corresponding divalent complex [(MeTP)V(THF)].(C(7)H(8))(0.5) (2) where the central N-methylated ring adopted a more regular pi-orientation. When treated with a strong Lewis acid (AlMe(3)), THF was extracted from the vanadium coordination sphere, forming the dinuclear dinitrogen complex [(MeTP)V(mu-N(2))](2).(C(7)H(8))(2.9) (3). Reduction of 3 with potassium graphite gave cleavage of dinitrogen, affording the mixed-valent nitride-bridged complex [(MeTP)V(mu-N)](2).(THF) (4).