Light‐Driven Dinitrogen Activation with Transition Metal Complexes: Mechanisms and Applications†

Abstract

Comprehensive SummaryThe Haber‐Bosch process, which is used for ammonia (NH3) synthesis, requires vast amounts of energy, accounting for approximately 1%—2% of the world's annual energy consumption. Therefore, researchers in both industry and academia are interested in developing sustainable and environmentally friendly methods for synthesizing nitrogenous compounds at ambient conditions using renewable energy sources such as visible light. While several examples of thermal activation of dinitrogen molecules have been demonstrated using various transition metals and ligand frameworks, the use of light to weaken or split the strong N—N bond has been less explored. This article presents an overview of molecular complexes capable of dinitrogen photocleavage and provides mechanistic insights into the photoactivation process through experimental and theoretical studies. We believe this review will provide readers with an in‐depth understanding of the current state‐of‐the‐art and future research perspectives, particularly in the use of visible light for dinitrogen activation and transformation.