Dinitrogen Activation and Functionalization Using β‐Diketiminate Iron Complexes

Iron catalysts are adept at breaking the N–N bond of N 2 , as exemplified by the iron‐catalyzed Haber–Bosch process and the iron‐containing clusters at the active sites of nitrogenase enzymes. This Minireview summarizes recent work that has identified a well‐characterized set of multiiron complexes that are capable of breaking and functionalizing N 2 and are amenable to detailed mechanistic studies. We discuss the redox balancing, the potential intermediates during N 2 activation, the variation of alkali metal reductant, the reversibility of N 2 cleavage, and the formation of N–H and N–C bonds from N 2 .