CO Cleavage and CO2 Functionalization under Mild Conditions by a Multimetallic CsU2 Nitride Complex

Novel efficient chemical processes involving cheap and widely accessible carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide under mild conditions for the production of valuable chemical products are highly desirable in the current energetic context. Uranium nitride materials act as high activity catalysts in the Haber-Bosch process but the reactivity of molecular nitride compounds remains unexplored. Here we review recent results obtained in our group showing that a multimetallic nitride complex [Cs{U(OSi(OtBu)(3))(3)(mu-N)}] (1) with a CsUIV-N-U-IV core, is able to promote N-C bond formation due to its strong nucleophile behaviour. In particular, complex 1, in the presence of excess CO2 leads to a remarkable dicarbamate product. The multimetallic CsUIV-N-U-IV nitride also readily cleaves the C O bond under mild conditions.