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Dinitrogen is a challenging molecule to reduce to useful products under ambient conditions. The range of d-block metal complexes that can catalyze dinitrogen reduction to ammonia or tris(silyl)amines under ambient conditions has increased recently but lacks electropositive metal complexes, such as those of the f-block, which lack filled d-orbitals that would support classical binding modes of N2. Here, metallacyclic phenolate structures with lanthanide or group 4 cations can bind dinitrogen and catalyze its conversion to bis(silyl)amines under ambient conditions. The formation of this unusual product is controlled by metallacycle sterics. The group 4 complexes featuring small cavities are most selective for bis(silyl)amine, while lanthanide complexes and the solvated uranium(IV) congener, with larger cavities, can also make a conventional tris(silyl)amine product. These results offer new catalytic applications for plentiful titanium and more earth-abundant members of the lanthanides that are also less toxic than many base metals used in catalysis. 

Abstract The “masked” terminal Zn sulfide, [K(2.2.2‐cryptand)][^MeLZn(S)] (2) (^MeL={(2,6‐ⁱPr₂C₆H₃)NC(Me)}₂CH), was isolated via reaction of [^MeLZnSCPh₃] (1) with 2.3 equivalents of KC₈in THF, in the presence of 2.2.2‐cryptand, at −78 °C. Complex2reacts readily with PhCCH and N₂O to form [K(2.2.2‐cryptand)][^MeLZn(SH)(CCPh)] (4) and [K(2.2.2‐cryptand)][^MeLZn(SNNO)] (5), respectively, displaying both Brønsted and Lewis basicity. In addition, the electronic structure of2was examined computationally and compared with the previously reported Ni congener, [K(2.2.2‐cryptand)][^tBuLNi(S)] (^tBuL={(2,6‐ⁱPr₂C₆H₃)NC(^tBu)}₂CH).