Reversible Nitrogen Atom Transfer between Nitridomanganese(V) and Manganese(III) Schiff-Base Complexes

Nitrogen atom transfer from salen-derived nitridomanganese(V) to manganese(III) Schiff-base complexes occurs under aerobic conditions in solution at room temperature. A mechanism involving chloride dissociation followed by the formation and decay of a binuclear μ-nitrido-activated complex accounts satisfactorily for the observed kinetics data.