Mechanochemical nitrogen fixation into amides and nitriles.
Abstract
The fixation of nitrogen (N2) into synthetic organic molecules conventionally proceeds via ammonia.Alternative routes via lithium nitride (Li3N) fail due to its high reactivity and non-selectivity in classic solvent-based environments.Ball milling proceeds solvent-free and harnesses the reactivity of Li3N.Under ambient conditions, lithium metal and N2 gas form Li3N within minutes of milling, then directly converting acyl chlorides and aldehydes into amides (up to 99%) and nitriles (up to 83%) in the same vessel.DFT calculations, 15 N-labeling, and X-ray diffraction demonstrate that the absence of solvent and the lattice energy of the forming LiH drive a reaction pathway that is not observed in solution.Thus, a method is presented where nitrogen enters organic molecules without ammonia or transition-metal catalysts.
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BibTeX
@misc{wohlgemuth2026mechanochemical,
title = {{Mechanochemical nitrogen fixation into amides and nitriles.}},
author = {Maximilian Wohlgemuth and Lars Beissel and Maike Mayer and Etienne Comfai and Lars Borchardt},
howpublished = {ChemRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.26434/chemrxiv.15010160/v1},
url = {https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010160/v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Mechanochemical nitrogen fixation into amides and nitriles.
AU - Maximilian Wohlgemuth
AU - Lars Beissel
AU - Maike Mayer
AU - Etienne Comfai
AU - Lars Borchardt
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/09
PB - ChemRxiv
DO - 10.26434/chemrxiv.15010160/v1
UR - https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010160/v1
AB - The fixation of nitrogen (N2) into synthetic organic molecules conventionally proceeds via ammonia.Alternative routes via lithium nitride (Li3N) fail due to its high reactivity and non-selectivity in classic solvent-based environments.Ball milling proceeds solvent-free and harnesses the reactivity of Li3N.Under ambient conditions, lithium metal and N2 gas form Li3N within minutes of milling, then directly converting acyl chlorides and aldehydes into amides (up to 99%) and nitriles (up to 83%) in the same vessel.DFT calculations, 15 N-labeling, and X-ray diffraction demonstrate that the absence of solvent and the lattice energy of the forming LiH drive a reaction pathway that is not observed in solution.Thus, a method is presented where nitrogen enters organic molecules without ammonia or transition-metal catalysts.
ER -