Recent advances in catalytic silylation of dinitrogen using transition metal complexes

Development of catalytic silylation of dinitrogen into silylamines using transition metal complexes under ambient reaction conditions precedes the development of catalytic transformation of dinitrogen into ammonia under ambient reaction conditions. As silylamines can be further hydrolyzed into ammonia in acidic conditions, catalytic silylation of dinitrogen can been seen as an alternative method for nitrogen fixation under ambient reaction conditions. This review article describes the historical background on the catalytic preparation of silylamine from dinitrogen using transition metal complexes as well as some transformation of dinitrogen into nitrogen-containing compounds via silylation of dinitrogen.