Room-Temperature-Stable Magnesium Electride via Ni(II) Reduction

J Am Chem Soc. 2022 Jul 27;144(29):13109-13117. doi: 10.1021/jacs.2c01807. Epub 2022 Jul 13.

Abstract

Herein, we report the synthesis of highly reduced bipyridyl magnesium complexes and the first example of a stable organic magnesium electride supported by quantum mechanical computations and X-ray diffraction. These complexes serve as unconventional homogeneous reductants due to their high solubility, modular redox potentials, and formation of insoluble, non-coordinating byproducts. The applicability of these reductants is showcased by accessing low-valent (bipy)2Ni(0) species that are challenging to access otherwise.