A crystalline singlet phosphinonitrene: A nitrogen atom-transfer agent

A variety of transition metal-nitrido complexes (metallonitrenes) have been isolated and studied in the context of modeling intermediates in biological nitrogen fixation by the nitrogenase enzymes and the industrial Haber-Bosch hydrogenation of nitrogen gas into ammonia. In contrast, nonmetallic nitrenes have so far only been spectroscopically observed at low temperatures, despite their intermediacy in a range of organic reactions. Here, we report the synthesis of a bis(imidazolidin-2-iminato)phosphinonitrene, which is stable at room temperature in solution and can even be isolated in the solid state. The bonding between phosphorus and nitrogen is analogous to that observed for metallonitrenes. We also show that this nitrido phosphorus derivative can be used to transfer a nitrogen atom to organic fragments, a difficult task for transition metal-nitrido complexes.