A new redox-active, tris(amido) ligand platform, bis(2-isopropylamino-4-methoxyphenylamine [NNN(cat)](3-), has been prepared and used in the preparation of tantalum(V) complexes. The ligand was prepared in its protonated form by a three-step procedure from commercially available 4-methoxy-2-nitroaniline and 1-iodo-4-methoxy-2-nitrobenzene. Direct reaction of [NNN(cat)]H(3) with TaCl(2)Me(3) afforded five-coordinate [NNN(cat)]TaCl(2) (1), which accepted the strong sigma-donor ligand (t)BuNC to form the six-coordinate adduct [NNN(cat)]TaCl(2)(CN(t)Bu) (2). Complex 1 is formally a d(0), Ta(V) complex; however, one- and two-electron reactivity is enabled at the metal center by the redox-activity of the ligand platform. Complex 1 was oxidized by one electron to afford the radical species [NNN(sq*)]TaCl(3) (3), which was characterized by solution EPR spectroscopy. Cyclic voltammetry studies of complex 3 showed clean one-electron oxidation and reduction processes at 0.148 and -0.324 V vs [Cp(2)Fe](+/0), indicating the accessibility of three oxidation states, [NNN(cat)](3-), [NNN(sq*)](2-), and [NNN(q)](-), for the metallated ligand. Complex 1 also can undergo two-electron reactions, as evidenced by the reaction with nitrene transfer reagents to form tantalum imido species. Thus 1 reacted with organic azides, RN(3) (R = Ph, p-C(6)H(4)Me, p-C(6)H(4)(t)Bu), to form [NNN(q)]TaCl(2)(NR) (4). Similarly, the tantalum diphenylmethylidenehydrazido complex, [NNN(q)]TaCl(2)(NNCPh(2)) (5), was formed by reaction of 1 with the diazoalkane, N(2)CPh(2).

Transition-metal complexes capable of mediating multielectron transformations are critical components for a variety of small-molecule transformations. For example, the oxidation of CÀH bonds [1] and the reduction of protons to H 2 [2] are both two-electron transformations. The oxidation of water to O 2 is a four-electron process [3] and the reduction of nitrogen to ammonia is an overall six-electron process.[4] The design of metal complexes to promote or catalyze these multielectron reactions usually relies on one or more transition-metal ions capable of two-electron changes in a formal oxidation state. An alternative strategy is to incorporate redox-active ligands into the metal coordination sphere to supply reducing or oxidizing equivalents during a multielectron transformation.[5]Herein, we report the use of a tridentate redox-active ligand,, [6] coordinated to tantalum, to effect the fourelectron oxidative formation of aryl diazenes. In its reduced form, [ONO red ] 3À is a planar, tridentate ligand that coordinates to transition metals in a meridional geometry. The organometallic synthon TaMe 3 Cl 2 [7] has been used to prepare [ONO red ]TaMe 2 (1), which was then converted into the; 2 b, L = pyridine (py); Scheme 1). Oxidation of 2 b resulted in the quantitative elimination of (p-tolyl)N = N(ptolyl). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of N = N double bond formation and organic diazene elimination from a tantalum(V) bridging imido dimer. Oxidation studies of the related complex [ONO red ]TaCl 2 (4) with PhICl 2 suggest that the redox-active ligand plays the pivotal role of collecting oxidizing equivalents within the tantalum coordination sphere. The work presented herein highlights a new strategy for the design of metal complexes capable of multielectron oxidation reactions.The bridging imido complexes 2 a and 2 b were prepared via dimethyl complex 1 (Scheme 1). The methyl ligands of 1 are susceptible to protonolysis by anilines, which results in the formation of bimetallic complexes with two bridging imido ligands. As shown in Scheme 1, benzene solutions of 1 heated to reflux with two equivalents of NH 2 (p-tolyl) resulted in the formation of

In this Forum Article, we discuss the use of redox-active pincer-type ligands to enable multielectron reactivity, specifically nitrene group transfer, at the electron-poor metals tantalum and zirconium. Two analogous ligand platforms, [ONO] and [NNN], are discussed with a detailed examination of their similarities and differences and the structural and electronic constraints they impose upon coordination to early transition metals. The two-electron redox capabilities of these ligands enable the transfer of organic nitrenes to tantalum(V) and zirconium(IV) metal centers despite formal d(0) electron counts. Under the correct conditions, the resulting metal imido complexes can participate in further multielectron reactions such as imide reduction, nitrene coupling, or formal nitrene transfer to an isocyanide.

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Group- and atom-transfer is an attractive reaction class for the preparation of value-added organic substrates. Despite a wide variety of known early-transition metal oxo and imido complexes, these species have received limited attention for atom- and group-transfer reactions, owing to the lack of an accessible metal-based two-electron redox couple. Recently it has been shown that redox-active ligands can support the multi-electron changes required to promote group-transfer reactivity, opening up new avenues for group- and atom-transfer catalyst design. This Perspective article provides an overview of group transfer reactivity in early-transition metal complexes supported by traditional ligand platforms, followed by recent advances in the atom- and group-transfer reactivity of d(0) metal complexes containing redox-active ligands.