Binuclear dinitrogen complexe of aryl- and benzyldicyclopentadienyltitanium(III) compounds

The preparation of the deep-blue diamagnetic dinitrogen complexes (Cp₂TiR)₂N₂ with R=C₆H₅, o-, m-, p-CH₃C₆H₄, C₆F₅, CH₂C₆H₅ is described. Their chemical and physcial properties confirm the formulation in which the R groups are σ-bonded to the Cp₂Ti moiety, and the two nitrogen atoms are equivalent. The heats of formation of the complexes from Cp₂TiR and N₂ in toluene have been determined from spectrophotometric data; for R=C₆H₅, o-, m-, p-CH₃C₆H₄, C₆F₅, CH₂C₆H₅, the values are ?18, ?9, ?17, ?20, ?17 and ?14 kcal·mol^?1, respectively. The solid complexes vary markedly in thermal stability, and are extremely air sensitive. The complexed nitrogen can be completely reduced with sodium naphthalene; after hydrolysis of the products, NH₃ and N₂H₄ are obtained. In the thermolysis of the solids, some of the nitrogen is reduced.