Fixation of N2 into Value-Added Organic Chemicals

Dinitrogen fixation is one of the central topics of chemistry and the chemical industry. The development of highly efficient conversion routes to directly transform N-2 in the air into value-added organic chemicals will become an important supplement to the industrial N-2 fixation to ammonia or ammonium in the future, as it can shorten the synthesis procedure of N-containing compounds and prevent potential pollution. In this Perspective, we determine the potential target compounds of direct N-2 fixation into value-added N-containing organic chemicals on the basis of the N element stream and value chain. The challenges of direct N-2 fixation into organic compounds are analyzed, and the emerging strategies of organo-metallic and heterogeneous electrocatalytic and photocatalytic solutions to immobilize N-2 into the target organic products are highlighted.

Automated summary

Dinitrogen fixation is a central topic in chemistry and the chemical industry. This Perspective article discusses the development of efficient routes to convert N2 directly into value-added organic chemicals, which can serve as a supplement to industrial N2 fixation processes. The article highlights the challenges and emerging strategies of organo-metallic and heterogeneous electrocatalytic and photocatalytic solutions for immobilizing N2 into target organic products.