title: Expanding Boundaries: N2 Cleavage and Functionalization beyond Early Transition Metals.
abstract: Early transition metals are well known to catalyze the cleavage and functionalization of N2 . In this Highlight, recent work showing that a rhenium catalyst is also capable of carrying out this difficult task is summarized, and a synthetic cycle for the stoichiometric incorporation of atmospheric N2 into acetonitrile is presented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Frick Laboratory 292, Princeton, 08544, USA.
authors.forename: Máté J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Bezdek
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Frick Laboratory 292, Princeton, 08544, USA. pchirik@princeton.edu.
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Chirik
keywords: nitrile synthesis; nitrogen fixation; pincer ligands; rhenium; small-molecule activation