Intramolecular and Intermolecular Magnetic Coupling Mechanism of a Dinuclear Copper(II) Complex

Abstract. A new dinuclear complex, Cu₂(μ_{1, 3}‐NCS)₂(Ophen)₂(OH₂)₂], (HOphen = 1, 10‐phenanthrolin‐2‐ol) was synthesized and its crystal structure was determined by X‐ray crystallography. In the complex, the Cu^II ion assumes a distorted square pyramidal arrangement and the thiocyanate anion functions as bridged ligand and Ophen as capped ligand. The analysis of the crystal structure shows that there exists a π–π stacking interaction between the adjacent complexes. The theoretical calculations reveal that the magnetic coupling pathways from the thiocyanate anions bridge ligand and the π–π stacking magnetic coupling pathway resulted in the weak ferromagnetic interactions with 2J = 18.46 cm^–1 and 2J = 10.46 cm^–1, respectively. The calculations also display that the spin delocalization and the spin polarization occur in the bridge magnetic coupling system and the π–π stacking magnetic coupling system, and the magnetic coupling mechanism of the π–π stacking can be explained with McConnell I spin‐polarization mechanism. The fitting for the data of the variable‐temperature magnetic susceptibility with dinuclear Cu^II formula gave the magnetic coupling constant 2J = 2.84 cm^–1 and zJ′ = 0.03 cm^–1, in which the 2J = 2.84 cm^–1 is attributed to the magnetic coupling from the bridge dinuclear Cu^II unit and the zJ′ = 0.03 cm^–1 is ascribed to the π–π stacking magnetic coupling system. The study may benefit to understand the magnetic coupling mechanism of π–π stacking system.