This invention relates to molecular catalysts and chemical reactions utilizing the same, and particularly to catalysts and catalytic methods for reduction of molecular nitrogen. The molecular catalytic platform provided herein is capable of the facile reduction of molecular nitrogen under useful conditions such as room temperature or less and atmospheric pressure or less.

The present invention is directed to methods for the preparation of (C.sub.nF.sub.2n+1)O-substituted arenes and heteroarenes and the direct perfluoralkoxy lation of arenes and heteroarenes with a (C.sub.nF.sub.2n+1)O-group, respectively. characterized in that a peroxide reagent according to the general formula (I): (C.sub.nF.sub.2n+1)2 (I) is fragmented in the presence of an electron transferring catalyst under (C.sub.nF.sub.2n+1)O-radical formation, and said (C.sub.nF.sub.2n+1)O-radical then substitutes a CH bond of an arene or heteroarene CH bond with a (C.sub.nF.sub.2n+1)O-group, wherein in the above formulae, n is an integer in the range from 1 to 4.