Side-On Bonded Beryllium Dinitrogen Complexes

Abstract

The preparation and spectroscopic identification of the complexes NNBe(η2-N2) and (NN)2Be(η2-N2) and the energetically higher lying isomers Be(NN)2 and Be(NN)3 are reported. NNBe(η2-N2) and (NN)2Be(η2-N2) are the first examples of covalently side-on bonded N2 adducts of a main-group element. The analysis of the electronic structure using modern methods of quantum chemistry suggests that NNBe(η2-N2) and (NN)2Be(η2-N2) should be classified as π complexes rather than metalladiazirines.