Metal‐Mediated Production of Isocyanates,R3ENCO from Dinitrogen,Carbon Dioxide,and R3ECl

A highly efficient and versatile chemical cycle has been developed for the production of isocyanates through the molecular fixation of N₂, CO₂ and R₃ECl (E=C, Si, and Ge). Key steps include a ‘one‐pot’ photolytic N? N bond cleavage of a Group 6 dinuclear dinitrogen complex with in situ trapping by R₃ECl to provide a metal terminal imido complex that can engage in simultaneous nitrene‐group transfer and oxygen‐atom transfer to generate an intermediate metal terminal oxo complex with release of the isocyanate product. Reaction of the oxo complex with additional equivalents of R₃ECl regenerates a metal dichloride that is the precursor for dinuclear dinitrogen starting material.