Influence of Isotope Substitution on Lattice and Spin‐Peierls‐Type Transition Features in One‐Dimensional Nickel Bis‐dithiolene Spin Systems

Four new 1D spin‐Peierls‐type compounds, [D₅]1‐(4′‐R‐benzyl)pyridinium bis(maleonitriledithiolato)nickelate ([D₅]R‐Py; R=F, I, CH₃, and NO₂), were synthesized and characterized structurally and magnetically. These 1D compounds are isostructural with the corresponding non‐deuterated compounds, 1‐(4′‐R‐benzyl)pyridinium bis(maleonitriledithiolato)nickelate (R‐Py; R=F, I, CH₃, and NO₂). Compounds [D₅]R‐Py and R‐Py (R=F, I, CH₃, and NO₂) crystallize in the monoclinic space group P2₁/c with uniform stacks of anions and cations in the high‐temperature phase and triclinic space group P$\bar 1$ with dimerized stacks of anions and cations in the low‐temperature phase. Similar to the non‐deuterated R‐Py compounds, a spin‐Peierls‐type transition occurs at a critical temperature for each [D₅]R‐Py compound; the magnetic character of the 1D S=1/2 ferromagnetic chain for [D₅]F‐Py and the 1D S=1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnetic chain for others appear above the transition temperature. Spin‐gap magnetic behavior was observed for all of these compounds below the transition temperature. In comparison to the corresponding R‐Py compound, the cell volume is almost unchanged for [D₅]F‐Py and shows slight expansion for [D₅]R‐Py (R=I, CH₃, and NO₂) as well as an increase in the spin‐Peierls‐type transition temperature for all of these 1D compounds in the order of F>I≈CH₃≈NO₂. The large isotopic effect of nonmagnetic countercations on the spin‐Peierls‐type transition critical temperature, T_C, can be attributed to the change in ω₀ with isotope substitution.     

Effect of a metal ion on intramolecular spin exchange in spin-labeled complexes

The characteristic features of intramolecular spin exchange in 14 complexes of Ag^I, Hg^II, Ni^II, Pd^II, Pt^II, Au^III, and Pt^IV with spin-labeled ligands were studied by ESR spectroscopy. The measured values of the exchange integral ‖J‖ and the differences between the enthalpies of the efficient conformations (ΔH) were compared with the electronic polarization (refraction)R _f of the Ni^II, Pd^II, and Pt^II ions and Klopman's rigidity parameters σ_K, which characterize the total polarazibility of the ions and the degree of covalence of the bond between the metal atom and the donor atom of the ligand, respectively. Delocalization of the electron spin density and the efficiency of spin exchange are determined by the relative contributions of the s, p, and d orbitals, which produce the overlap integral of wave functions, ‖J‖, and by the geometric features of the coordination polyhedron, which affect the mutual orientation of the N−O fragments. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 10, pp. 2005–2009, October, 1999.     

Discrepancy between the Spin Distribution and the Magnetic Ground State for a Triaminoxyl Substituted Triphenylphosphine Oxide Derivative

The magnetic interaction and spin transfer via phosphorus have been investigated for the tri‐tert‐butylaminoxyl para‐substituted triphenylphosphine oxide. For this radical unit, the conjugation existing between the π* orbital of the NO group and the phenyl π orbitals leads to an efficient delocalization of the spin from the radical to the neighboring aromatic ring. This has been confirmed by using fluid solution high‐resolution EPR and solid state MAS NMR spectroscopy. The spin densities located on the atoms of the molecule could be probed since ¹H, ¹³C, ¹⁴N, and ³¹P are nuclei active in NMR and EPR, and lead to a precise spin distribution map for the triradical. The experimental investigations were completed by a DFT computational study. These techniques established in particular that spin density is located at the phosphorus (ρ=?15×10^?3 au), that its sign is in line with the sign alternation principle and that its magnitude is in the order of that found on the aromatic C atoms of the molecule. Surprisingly, whereas the spin distribution scheme supports ferromagnetic interactions among the radical units, the magnetic behavior found for this molecule revealed a low‐spin ground state characterized by an intramolecular exchange parameter of J=?7.55 cm^?1 as revealed by solid state susceptibility studies and low temperature EPR. The X‐ray crystal structures solved at 293 and 30 K show the occurrence of a crystallographic transition resulting in an ordering of the molecular units at low temperature.     

Seeking Hidden Magnetic Phenomena by Theoretical Means in a Thiooxoverdazyl Adduct

The oxidation of 1,5‐dimethyl‐3‐(2′‐pyridyl)‐6‐thiooxotetrazane (SvdH₃py) by benzoquinone leads to a 1:1 adduct of 1,5‐dimethyl‐3‐(2′‐pyridyl)‐6‐thiooxoverdazyl radical (Svdpy) with hydroquinone (hq). The single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction of this adduct at room temperature (RT) shows that the radicals exhibit a slight curvature that leads to the formation of alternating head‐to‐tail (antiparallel) stacked 1D chains. Moreover, temperature‐dependent X‐ray measurements at 100, 200, and 303 K reveal that the lateral slippages between the radicals of the stacks |δ₁| and |δ₂| vary from 0.64 to 0.78 Å and 0.54 to 0.40 Å between 100 and 303 K. Despite the alternation of the inter‐radical distances and lateral slippages, the magnetic susceptibility data can be fitted with excellent agreement using a regular one‐dimensional antiferromagnetic chain model with J=?5.9 cm^?1. Wavefunction‐based calculations indicate an alternation of the magnetic interaction parameters correlated with the structural analysis at RT. Moreover, they demonstrate that the thermal slippage of the radicals induces a switching of the physical behavior, since the exchange interaction changes from antiferromagnetic (?0.9 cm^?1) at 100 K to ferromagnetic (1.4 cm^?1) at 303 K. The theoretical approach thus reveals a much richer magnetic behavior than the analysis of the magnetic susceptibility data and ultimately questions the relevance of a spin‐coupled picture based on temperature‐independent parameters.     

Spin Crossover and Long-Lived Excited States in a Reduced Molecular Ruby

The chromium(III) complex [Cr^III(ddpd)₂]³⁺ (molecular ruby; ddpd=N,N′-dimethyl-N,N′-dipyridine-2-yl-pyridine-2,6-diamine) is reduced to the genuine chromium(II) complex [Cr^II(ddpd)₂]²⁺ with d⁴ electron configuration. This reduced molecular ruby represents one of the very few chromium(II) complexes showing spin crossover (SCO). The reversible SCO is gradual with T_1/2 around room temperature. The low-spin and high-spin chromium(II) isomers exhibit distinct spectroscopic and structural properties (UV/Vis/NIR, IR, EPR spectroscopies, single-crystal XRD). Excitation of [Cr^II(ddpd)₂]²⁺ with UV light at 20 and 290 K generates electronically excited states with microsecond lifetimes. This initial study on the unique reduced molecular ruby paves the way for thermally and photochemically switchable magnetic systems based on chromium complexes complementing the well-established iron(II) SCO systems.     

Ultrafast Deactivation Mechanism of the Excited Singlet in the Light‐Induced Spin Crossover of [Fe(2,2′‐bipyridine)3]2+

The mechanism of the light‐induced spin crossover of the [Fe(bpy)₃]²⁺ complex (bpy=2,2′‐bipyridine) has been studied by combining accurate electronic‐structure calculations and time‐dependent approaches to calculate intersystem‐crossing rates. We investigate how the initially excited metal‐to‐ligand charge transfer (MLCT) singlet state deactivates to the final metastable high‐spin state. Although ultrafast X‐ray free‐electron spectroscopy has established that the total timescale of this process is on the order of a few tenths of a picosecond, the details of the mechanisms still remain unclear. We determine all the intermediate electronic states along the pathway from low spin to high spin and give estimates for the deactivation times of the different stages. The calculations result in a total deactivation time on the same order of magnitude as the experimentally determined rate and indicate that the complex can reach the final high‐spin state by means of different deactivation channels. The optically populated excited singlet state rapidly decays to a triplet state with an Fe d⁶(${{\rm t}{{5\hfill \atop {\rm 2g}\hfill}}}$ ${{\rm e}{{1\hfill \atop {\rm g}\hfill}}}$ ) configuration either directly or by means of a triplet MLCT state. This triplet ligand‐field state could in principle decay directly to the final quintet state, but a much faster channel is provided by internal conversion to a lower‐lying triplet state and subsequent intersystem crossing to the high‐spin state. The deactivation rate to the low‐spin ground state is much smaller, which is in line with the large quantum yield reported for the process.     

Binding Sites,Vibrations and Spin-Lattice Relaxation Times in Europium(II)-Based Metallofullerene Spin Qubits

To design molecular spin qubits with enhanced quantum coherence, a control of the coupling between the local vibrations and the spin states is crucial, which could be realized in principle by engineering molecular structures via coordination chemistry. To this end, understanding the underlying structural factors that govern the spin relaxation is a central topic. Here, we report the investigation of the spin dynamics in a series of chemically designed europium(II)-based endohedral metallofullerenes (EMFs). By introducing a unique structural difference, i. e. metal-cage binding site, while keeping other molecular parameters constant between different complexes, these manifest the key role of the three low-energy metal-displacing vibrations in mediating the spin-lattice relaxation times (T₁). The temperature dependence of T₁ can thus be normalized by the frequencies of these low energy vibrations to show an unprecedentedly universal behavior for EMFs in frozen CS₂ solution. Our theoretical analysis indicates that this structural difference determines not only the vibrational rigidity but also spin-vibration coupling in these EMF-based qubit candidates.     

Structural and Magnetic Properties of 2p‐3d‐4f Hetero‐Tri‐Spin Chains Comprising [{Cu(hfac)2‐Radical}2] Dimers and Ln(hfac)3 (hfac=hexafluoroacetylacetonate)

A new family of 2p‐3d‐4f hetero‐tri‐spin complexes [Ln(hfac)₃{Cu(hfac)₂(NIT‐3 PyPh)}₂] (Ln=Gd ( 1 ), Tb ( 2 ), Dy ( 3 ), Ho ( 4 ); NIT‐3 PyPh=2‐[4‐(3‐pyridinylmethoxy)phenyl]‐4,4,5,5‐tetramethylimidazoline‐1‐oxyl‐3‐oxide; hfac=hexafluoroacetylacetonate) have been synthesized. Four complexes possess a 1D chain structure in which two radical ligands join two Cu(hfac)₂ molecules to form a [{Cu(hfac)₂‐rad)}₂] dimer cycle and the dimer rings are linked by Ln(hfac)₃ units. Magnetic studies show that ferromagnetic exchange couplings exist between the coordinated NO groups of radical ligands and metal ions. Field‐induced slow relaxation of the magnetization was observed in the Tb and Dy compounds.     

Zinc‐Diluted Magnetic Metal Formate Perovskites: Synthesis,Structures, and Magnetism of [CH3NH3][MnxZn1−x(HCOO)3] (x=0–1)

The preparation, structures, and magnetic properties of a series of metal formate perovskites [CH₃NH₃][Mn_xZn_1?x(HCOO)₃] were investigated. The isostructural solid solution can be prepared in the complete range of x=0–1. The metal–organic perovskite structures consist of an anionic NaCl type [Mn_xZn_1?x(HCOO)₃^?] framework with CH₃NH₃⁺ templates located in the nearly cubic cavities and forming hydrogen bonds to the framework. When the proportion of Mn increased (i.e., x changed from 0 to 1), the lattice dimensions and metal–oxygen and metal–metal distances show a slight, nonlinear increase because of the increased averaged metal ionic radius and the local structure distortion. Through the series, the magnetism changes from the long‐range ordering of spin‐canted antiferromagnetism for x≥0.40 to paramagnetism when x≤0.30, and the percolation limit was estimated to be x_P=0.31(2) for this simple cubic lattice. In the low‐temperature region, enhancement of magnetization and the gradual decrease and final disappearance of coercive field, remnant magnetization, and spin‐flop field upon dilution were observed through this isotropic Heisenberg magnetic series. IR spectroscopic and thermal properties were also investigated.