Cleavage of dinitrogen to yield a (t-BuPOCOP)molybdenum(IV) nitride

(t-BuPOCOP)MoI2 (1; t-BuPOCOP = C6H3-1,3-[OP(t-Bu)(2)] (2)) has been synthesized from MoI3(THF)(3). Upon reduction of 1 with Na/Hg under dinitrogen molecular nitrogen is cleaved to form [(t-BuPOCOP)Mo((I))(N)](-). The origin of the N atom was confirmed using N-15(2). Protonation of [(t-BuPOCOP)Mo((I))(N)](-) results in the formation of a neutral species in which it is proposed that the proton has added across the Mo-P bond.