Hetero‐tri‐spin [2p‐3d‐4f] Chain Compounds Based on Nitronyl Nitroxide Lanthanide Metallo‐Ligands: Synthesis,Structure, and Magnetic Properties

Employing nitronyl nitroxide lanthanide(III) complexes as metallo‐ligands allowed the efficient and highly selective preparation of three series of unprecedented hetero‐tri‐spin (Cu?Ln‐radical) one‐dimensional compounds. These 2p–3d–4f spin systems, namely [Ln₃Cu(hfac)₁₁(NitPhOAll)₄] (Ln^III=Gd 1_Gd , Tb 1_Tb , Dy 1_Dy ; NitPhOAll=2‐(4′‐allyloxyphenyl)‐4,4,5,5‐tetramethylimidazoline‐1‐oxyl‐3‐oxide), [Ln₃Cu(hfac)₁₁(NitPhOPr)₄] (Ln^III=Gd 2_Gd , Tb 2_Tb , Dy 2_Dy , Ho 2_Ho , Yb 2_Yb ; NitPhOPr=2‐(4′‐propoxyphenyl)‐4,4,5,5‐tetramethyl‐imidazoline‐1‐oxyl‐3‐oxide) and [Ln₃Cu(hfac)₁₁(NitPhOBz)₄] (Ln^III=Gd 3_Gd , Tb 3_Tb , Dy 3_Dy ; NitPhOBz=2‐(4′‐benzyloxyphenyl)‐4,4,5,5‐tetramethyl‐imidazoline‐1‐oxyl‐3‐oxide) involve O‐bound nitronyl nitroxide radicals as bridging ligands in chain structures with a [Cu‐Nit‐Ln‐Nit‐Ln‐Nit‐Ln‐Nit] repeating unit. The dc magnetic studies show that ferromagnetic metal–radical interactions take place in these hetero‐tri‐spin chain complexes, these and the next‐neighbor interactions have been quantified for the Gd derivatives. Complexes 1_Tb and 2_Tb exhibit frequency dependence of ac magnetic susceptibilities, indicating single‐chain magnet behavior.     

New 2p‐3d‐4f Chain Compounds [LnZn(hfac)5(NIT‐Pyrim)2] constructed from Pyrimidine based Nitronyl Nitroxides

The 1:1:2 mixture of Ln(hfac)₃, Zn(hfac)₂, and NIT‐Pyrim (hfac = hexafluoroacetylacetonate, NIT‐Pyrim = 2‐pyrimidine‐4,4,5,5‐tetramethylimidazoline‐1‐oxyl‐3‐oxide) afforded a series of 2p‐3d‐4f magnetic chains [Ln(hfac)₃Zn(hfac)₂(NIT‐Pyrim)₂] [Ln^III = Gd ( 1 ), Ho ( 2 ), Yb ( 3 )], in which Zn(hfac)₂ and Ln(hfac)₃ units are bridged by pyrimidine substituted nitronyl nitroxides through their NO moieties and pyrimidine nitrogen atoms. These complexes represent the first examples of 2p‐3d‐4f complexes with Zn^II ions. Magnetic studies show that there exist ferromagnetic exchange couplings between the coordinated NO groups of radical ligands and the Gd^III ions.     

Syntheses,Structures, and Properties of Two New Tri‐spin Lanthanide‐Nitronyl Nitroxide (LnIII = GdIII and HoIII) Complexes

Abstract. Two radical–Ln^III–radical complexes, [Ln(hfac)₃(NITPh‐Ph)₂] [Ln = Gd ( 1 ) and Ho ( 2 ), hfac = hexafluoroacetylacetonate; and NITPh‐Ph = 4′‐biphenyl‐4, 4, 5, 5‐tetramethylimidazoline‐1‐oxyl‐3‐oxide] were synthesized and characterized by X‐ray diffraction, elemental analysis, magnetic measurements, as well as IR and UV/Vis spectroscopy. X‐ray crystal structure analysis revealed that the structures of both complexes are isomorphous, the central Ln^III ions are coordinated by six oxygen atoms from three hfac ligand molecules and two oxygen atoms from nitronyl radicals. The temperature dependencies of the magnetic susceptibilities were studied. They showed that in the Gd^III complex, ferromagnetic interactions between Gd^III and the radicals and antiferromagnetic interactions between the radicals coexist in this system (with J_Rad–Gd = 0.1 cm^–1, J_Rad–Rad = –0.309 cm^–1).     

Influence of the Coordinated Transition Metal Ion on Magnetic Relaxation of Lanthanide Based Complexes with Imino Nitroxide Biradical Ligands

In spite of achievement of a lot of Ln-radical SMMs, how to improve magnetic behavior of Ln-radical system remains challenging. Here, two series of Ln-radical complexes have successfully been built using an imino nitroxide biradical, namely, [Ln₂(hfac)₆(ImPhPyobis)₂] (Ln^III=Gd 1 , Tb 2 , Dy 3 ) and [Ln₂Cu₂(hfac)₁₀(ImPhPyobis)₂] (Ln^III=Gd 4 , Dy 5 ; hfac=hexafluoroacetylacetonate and ImPhPyobis=5-(4-oxypyridinium-1-yl)-1,3-bis(1’-oxyl-4’,4’,5’,5’-tetramethyl-4,5-hydro-1H-imidazol-2-yl)benzene). For these biradical-metal complexes, two imino nitroxide biradicals bind two Ln(III) ions via their oxygen atoms coming from 4-oxypyridinium units to produce a binuclear {Ln₂O₂} unit. Those imino nitroxide groups are free for complexes 1 – 3 , however one of imino nitroxide groups of the biradical is ligated to the copper(II) ion for complexes 4 and 5 . The distinct magnetic relaxation behaviors are observed for two Dy derivatives, as revealed by ac magnetic studies: complex 3 presents one magnetic process with the effective energy barrier(U_eff) of 74.0 K while complex 5 exhibits dual relaxation processes with U_eff values for the fast- and slow-relaxation being 20.2 K and 30.9 K, respectively, which implies that the second coordination sphere of Dy ion plays a critical role for magnetic relaxation.     

Synthesis,Crystal Structure,and Magnetic Property of New Trispin Ln(III)‐Nitronyl Nitroxide Complexes

Four Ln(III) complexes based on a new nitronyl nitroxide radical have been synthesized and structurally characterized: {Ln(hfac)₃[NITPh(MeO)₂]₂} (Ln = Eu( 1 ), Gd( 2 ), Tb( 3 ), Dy( 4 ); NITPh(MeO)₂ = 2‐(3′,4′‐dimethoxyphenyl)‐4,4,5,5‐tetramethylimidazoline‐1‐oxyl‐3‐oxide; hfac = hexafluoroacetylacetonate). The single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis shows that these complexes have similar mononuclear trispin structures, in which central Ln(III) ion is eight‐coordinated by two O‐atoms from two nitroxide groups and six O‐atoms from three hfac anions. The variable temperature magnetic susceptibility study reveals that there exist ferromagnetic interactions between Gd(III) and the radicals, and antiferromagnetic interactions between two radicals (J_Gd‐Rad = 3.40 cm^?1, J_Rad‐Rad = ?9.99 cm^?1) in complex 2 . Meanwhile, antiferromagnetic interactions are estimated between Eu(III) (or Dy(III)) and radicals in complexes 1 and 4 , and ferromagnetic interaction between Tb(III) and radicals in complex 3 , respectively.     

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.     

Structure and Magnetic Investigation of a Series of Rare Earth Heterospin Monometallic Compounds of Nitronyl Nitroxide Radical

Five rare earth heterospin complexes [Ln(hfac)₃(NITptBuPh)₂], [Ln^III = Eu ( 1 ), Tb ( 2 ), Dy ( 3 ), Ho ( 4 ), Er ( 5 )] (hfac = hexafluoroacetylacetonate), were synthesized with the radical ligand NITptBuPh [2‐(4′‐tert‐butylphenyl)‐4, 4,5, 5‐tetramethylimidazoline‐1‐oxyl‐3‐oxide]. These complexes exhibit similar structures. All of them crystallize in the monoclinic space group P2₁/c, and consist of discrete mononuclear molecules. The central Ln^III ion is eight‐coordinate with a distorted dodecahedral environment. The NITptBuPh radical acts as monodentate ligand towards Ln^III ion through the NO group. The magnetic studies suggested weak antiferromagnetic interactions between Ln^III ion and radicals in 1 , 3 , 4 , and 5 , but weak ferromagnetic interaction in 2 .     

Ferro- and antiferromagnetic interactions in polymeric and molecular complexes of Cu(hfac)2 with 1-oxoazin-2-yl-substituted nitronyl nitroxides

Solid heterospin compounds based on Cu(hfac)₂ complexes with a new group of nitronyl nitroxides bearing different azine-N-oxide substituents at position 2 of the 2-imidazoline ring (Lⁿ) were studied. The major factor responsible for the change in the magnetic characteristics of the [Cu(hfac)₂L¹] complex with triazine nitronyl nitroxide with temperature was shown to be the specific pairwise packing of heterospin molecules with the dominant antiferromagnetic exchange between the radical fragments of adjacent molecules. For complexes of Cu(hfac)₂ with 1-oxoazin-2-yl-substituted nitronyl nitroxides L² and L⁴, 7-membered metallocycles were obtained, although they form rarely. It was shown that polymer chains formed in the solid complex with spin-labeled pyrazine-N-oxide [(Cu(hfac)₂)₃(L³)₂] due to the cross-linking of {(Cu(hfac)₂)₂(L³)₂} binuclear fragments via the bridging [Cu(hfac)₂].     

Unprecedented Sensitization of Visible and Near‐Infrared Lanthanide Luminescence by Using a Tetrathiafulvalene‐Based Chromophore

Ligand L was synthesized and then coordinated to [Ln(hfac)₃] ? 2 H₂O (Ln^III=Tb, Dy, Er; hfac^?=1,1,1,5,5,5‐hexafluoroacetylacetonate anion) and [Ln(tta)₃]?2 H₂O (Ln^III=Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Er, Yb; tta^?=2‐thenoyltrifluoroacetonate) to give two families of dinuclear complexes [Ln₂(hfac)₆( L )] ? C₆H₁₄ and [Ln₂(tta)₆( L )] ? 2 CH₂Cl₂. Irradiation of the ligand at 37 040 cm^?1 and 29 410 cm^?1 leads to tetrathiafulvalene‐centered and 2,6‐di(pyrazol‐1‐yl)‐4‐pyridine‐centered fluorescence, respectively. The ligand acts as an organic chromophore for the sensitization of the infrared Er^III (6535 cm^?1) and Yb^III (10 200 cm^?1) luminescence. The energies of the singlet and triplet states of L are high enough to guarantee an efficient sensitization of the visible Eu^III luminescence (17 300–14 100 cm^?1). The Eu^III luminescence decay can be nicely fitted by a monoexponential function that allows a lifetime estimation of (0.49±0.01) ms. Finally, the magnetic and luminescence properties of [Yb₂(hfac)₆( L )] ? C₆H₁₄ were correlated, which allowed the determination of the crystal field splitting of the ²F_7/2 multiplet state with M_J=±1/2 as ground states.     

Four tri-spin lanthanide–nitronyl nitroxide (LnIII = GdIII,DyIII, ErIII,and HoIII) complexes: syntheses,structures, and magnetic properties

Four radical–Ln(III)–radical complexes, [Ln(hfac)₃(NITPhSCH₃)₂] (Ln?=?Gd (1), Dy (2), Er (3), Ho (4); hfac?=?hexafluoroacetylacetonate; NITPhSCH₃?=?4′-thiomethylphenyl-4,4,5,5tetramethyl-imidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide), have been synthesized, and structurally and magnetically characterized. The X-ray crystal structures show that the structures of the four complexes are similar, consisting of isolated molecules in which Ln(III) ions are coordinated by six oxygen atoms from three hfac and two oxygen atoms from nitronyl radicals. The temperature dependencies of magnetic susceptibilities for the four complexes show that in the Gd(III) complex, ferromagnetic interactions between Gd(III)–radical and antiferromagnetic interactions between the radicals coexist with J _Rad–Gd?=?1.09?cm^?1, J _Rad–Rad?=??1.85?cm^?1.     

Density functional theory study of the magnetic properties of rare earth complexes: the magnetic coupling mechanism in YIII and GdIII complexes with nitronyl nitroxide

The magnetic coupling interactions of the nitronyl nitroxide radicals bound to diamagnetic (Y^III) and paramagnetic (Gd^III) rare earth ions in two model magnetic systems based on novel rare earth organic radical complexes Ln(hfac)₃(NITPhOCH₃)₂ (Ln = Y^III 1, Gd^III 2; hafc = hexafluoroacetylacetonate; NITPhOCH₃ = 4′-methoxyo-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide) have been investigated by density functional theory (DFT). The magnetic coupling mechanisms were also explored from the viewpoint of molecular orbital and spin density populations. DFT calculations show that the empty 4d-orbitals of Y^III and 5d-orbitals of Gd^III play an important role in the antiferromagnetic coupling between the two nitronyl nitroxide radical ligands, and that the ferromagnetic coupling between the Gd^III ion and the radical magnetic centers can be attributed to the nearly complete localization of the isotropic 4f-shell and singly occupied magnetic orbital (Π^*) of the nitronyl nitroxide.     

(Azulene‐1,3‐diyl)‐bis(nitronyl nitroxide) and (Azulene‐1,3‐diyl)‐bis(iminonitroxide) and Their Copper Complexes

In contrast to diradicals connected by alternant hydrocarbons, only a few studies on those connected by nonalternant hydrocarbons have been reported. The syntheses, structures, and magnetic properties of azulene‐1,3‐diyl linked bis(nitronyl nitroxide) (NN₂Az) and bis(iminonitroxide) (IN₂Az) diradicals and their Cu(hfac)₂ (hfac=hexafluoroacetylacetonate) complexes were investigated. NN₂Az was shown to have an intramolecular ferromagnetic interaction with J _obs/k _B=+10.0 K (H =−2J S ₁ ⋅S ₂) between (nitronyl nitroxide) spins, whereas IN₂Az was estimated to have a much weaker intramolecular magnetic interaction. The reactions of NN₂Az and IN₂Az with Cu(hfac)₂ gave a 1:2 [{Cu(hfac)₂}₂(NN₂Az)] complex and a 1:1 [Cu(hfac)₂(IN₂Az)] ⋅ C₆H₁₂ complex, respectively. [{Cu(hfac)₂}₂(NN₂Az)] showed strong intramolecular antiferromagnetic interactions (J _1‐Cu‐R/k _B≈−800 K, J _2‐Cu‐R/k _B≈−500 K) between the Cu^II spins and the coordinating NN spins, whereas [Cu(hfac)₂(IN₂Az)] exhibited a ferromagnetic exchange interaction (J _obs‐Cu‐R/k _B=+114 K) between the Cu^II spin and the imino‐coordinated iminonitroxide spin.     

Regulating Spin Dynamics of Nitronyl Nitroxide Biradical Lanthanide Complexes through Introducing Different Transition Metals

Four biradical-Ln complexes with different transition metal ions, namely [LnM(hfac)₅(NITPh-PyPzbis)] (M^II=Mn^II and Ln^III=Gd 1 , Dy 2 ; M^II=Ni^II and Ln^III=Tb 3 , Dy 4 ), were prepared by the reaction of Ln(hfac)₃ ⋅ 2H₂O, Mn(hfac)₂ ⋅ 2H₂O or Ni(hfac)₂ ⋅ 2H₂O with NITPh-PyPzbis biradical (hfac=hexafluoroacetylacetonate, NITPh-PyPzbis=5-(3-(2-pyridinyl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)-1,3-bis(1’-oxyl-3’-oxido- 4’,4’,5’,5’-tetramethyl-4,5-hydro-1H-imidazol-2-yl)benzene). In complexes 1 – 4 , the NITPh-PyPzbis biradical chelates one Ln^III ion by means of its aminoxyl moieties and the transition metal ion is introduced through the two N donors from the pyridyl pyrazolyl moiety. Magnetic investigations indicate that complex 4 displays visible maxima in frequency/temperature-dependent χ′′ signals with two-step relaxation processes, but complex 2 exhibits no slow magnetization relaxation. The comparison of structure parameters of both Dy complexes indicates that the symmetries of coordination spheres of two Dy ions are D_2d for 2 and C_2v for 4 , which thus probably results in different magnetic relaxation behaviors. This work provides new insight for improving properties of Ln-biradical based SMMs.     

Tetrathiafulvalene‐amido‐2‐pyridine‐N‐oxide as Efficient Charge‐Transfer Antenna Ligand for the Sensitization of YbIII Luminescence in a Series of Lanthanide Paramagnetic Coordination Complexes

The tetrathiafulvalene‐amido‐2‐pyridine‐N‐oxide ( L ) ligand has been employed to coordinate 4f elements. The architecture of the complexes mainly depends on the ionic radii of the lanthanides. Thus, the reaction of L in the same experimental protocol leads to three different molecular structure series. Binuclear [Ln₂(hfac)₅(O₂CPhCl)( L )₃] ? 2 H₂O (hfac^?=1,1,1,5,5,5‐hexafluoroacetylacetonate anion, O₂CPhCl^?=3‐chlorobenzoate anion) and mononuclear [Ln(hfac)₃( L )₂] complexes were obtained by using rare‐earth ions with either large (Ln^III=Pr, Gd) or small (Ln^III=Y, Yb) ionic radius, respectively, whereas the use of Tb^III that possesses an intermediate ionic radius led to the formation of a binuclear complex of formula [Tb₂(hfac)₄(O₂CPhCl)₂( L )₂]. Antiferromagnetic interactions have been observed in the three dinuclear compounds by using an extended empirical method. Photophysical properties of the coordination complexes have been studied by solid‐state absorption spectroscopy, whereas time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT) calculations have been carried out on the diamagnetic Y^III derivative to build a molecular orbital diagram and to reproduce the absorption spectrum. For the [Yb(hfac)₃( L )₂] complex, the excitation at 19 600 cm^?1 of the HOMO→LUMO+1/LUMO+2 charge‐transfer transition induces both line‐shape emissions in the near‐IR spectral range assigned to the ²F_5/2→²F_7/2 (9860 cm^?1) ytterbium‐centered transition and a residual charge‐transfer emission around 13 150 cm^?1. An efficient antenna effect that proceeds through energy transfer from the singlet excited state of the tetrathiafulvalene‐amido‐2‐pyridine‐N‐oxide chromophore is evidence of the Yb^III sensitization.     

Two new lanthanide–radical complexes: synthesis,structure, and magnetic properties

Two new lanthanide–radical complexes, [Tb(hfac)₃(EtVNIT)₂] (1) and [Dy(hfac)₃(EtVNIT)₂] (2) (EtVNIT?=?2-(4′-ethoxy-3′-methoxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide, hfac?=?1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoroacetylacetonate), were synthesized; both display radical–Ln(III)–radical (Ln=Tb (1), Dy (2)) tri-spin structures. Magnetic studies reveal that interactions between the lanthanide ions and radicals are ferromagnetic.     

Magnetic Blocking from Exchange Interactions: Slow Relaxation of the Magnetization and Hysteresis Loop Observed in a Dysprosium–Nitronyl Nitroxide Chain Compound with an Antiferromagnetic Ground State

The combination of the anisotropic Dy^III ion and organic radicals as spin carriers results in discrete and one‐dimensional lanthanide–radical magnetic materials, namely, [Dy(hfac)₃(NITThienPh)₂] ( 1 ) and [Dy₂(hfac)₆(NITThienPh)₂]_n ( 2 ; hfac=hexafluoroacetylacetonate, NITThienPh=2‐(5‐phenyl‐2‐thienyl)‐4,4,5,5‐tetramethyl‐imidazoline‐1‐oxyl‐3‐oxide). Linking monomeric 1 with the Dy^III ion leads to the formation of polymeric 2 , and the transformation between them is chemically controllable and reversible. The characterization of both static and dynamic magnetic properties shows that the dominant intrachain exchange interaction is important to observe magnetic bistability in 2 rather than that in 1 . Monomeric 1 exhibits paramagnetic behavior, whereas polymeric 2 shows the unusual coexistence of superparamagnetic and two‐step field‐induced metamagnetic behaviors. The antiferromagnetic ground state of 2 does not prevent the dynamic relaxation of the magnetization with the finite‐sized effect in the lanthanide–radical system. Energy barriers to thermally activated relaxation for 2 are 53 and 98 K in the low‐ and high‐temperature regimes, respectively. A hysteresis loop is observed with the coercive field of 99 Oe at 2 K.     

The Building Block [FeIII(pzphen)(CN)4]– and its Lanthanide Complexes: Synthesis,Crystal Structure,and Magnetic Properties

The cyanide building block [Fe^III(pzphen)(CN)₄]^– and its four lanthanide complexes [{Fe^III(pzphen)(CN)₄}₂Ln^III(H₂O)₅(DMF)₃] · (NO₃) · 2(H₂O) · (CH₃CN) [Ln = Nd ( 1 ), Sm ( 2 ), DMF = dimethyl formamide] and [{Fe^III(pzphen)(CN)₄}₂Ln^III(NO₃)(H₂O)₂(DMF)₂](CH₃CN) [Ln = Gd ( 3 ), Dy ( 4 )] were synthesized and structurally characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. Compounds 1 and 2 are ionic salts with two [Fe^III(pzphen)(CN)₄]^– cations and one Ln^III ion, but compounds 3 and 4 are cyano‐bridged Fe^III‐Ln^III heterometallic 3d‐4f complexes exhibiting a trinuclear structure in the same conditions. Magnetic studies show that compound 3 is antiferromagnetic between the central Fe^III and Gd^III atoms. Furthermore, the trinuclear cyano‐bridged Fe^III₂Dy^III compound 4 displays no single‐molecular magnets (SMMs) behavior by the alternating current magnetic susceptibility measurements.     

Synthesis and study of Cu<Superscript>II</Superscript> complex with nitroxide,a jumping crystal analog

We synthesized 1-ethylimidazolyl-substituted nitronyl nitroxides, i.e., 2-(1-ethylimidazol-4-yl)- (L^4Et) and 2-(1-ethylimidazol-5-yl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazole 3-oxide-1-oxyl (L^5Et). The stable radical L^5Et is an ethyl analog of 2-(1-methylimidazol-5-yl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazole 3-oxide-1-oxyl (L^5Me) described earlier, the reaction of which with Cu(hfac)₂ (hfac is 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoropentane-2,4-dionate) leads to the formation of the [Cu(hfac)₂(L^5Me)₂] jumping crystals. The reaction of Cu(hfac)₂ with L^5Et with reagent ratios 1: 2 and 1: 1 yields heterospin complexes [Cu(hfac)₂(L^5Et)₂] and [Cu(hfac)₂L^5Et]₂, respectively. X-ray diffraction study of the mononuclear complex [Cu(hfac)₂(L^5Et)₂] determined that the compound has a packing similar to that of jumping crystals studied earlier, with the only difference being that the O...O contacts between neigh- boring nitroxide groups were found to be 0.3—0.5 Å longer than in [Cu(hfac)₂(L^5Me)₂]. As a result of the lengthening of these contacts, [Cu(hfac)₂(L^5Et)₂] crystals lack chemomechanical activi- ty. We found that when cooling crystals of binuclear complex [Cu(hfac)₂L^5Et]₂ below 50 K, the antiferromagnetic exchange between unpaired electrons of the >N—?O groups of neighboring molecules leads to the full spin-pairing of the nitroxides, with only the Cu²⁺ ions contributing to the residual paramagnetism of the compound.     

Controlled Synthesis of Heterotrimetallic Single‐Chain Magnets from Anisotropic High‐Spin 3 d–4 f Nodes and Paramagnetic Spacers

By using the node‐and‐spacer approach in suitable solvents, four new heterotrimetallic 1D chain‐like compounds (that is, containing 3d–3d′–4f metal ions), {[Ni(L)Ln(NO₃)₂(H₂O)Fe(Tp*)(CN)₃] ? 2 CH₃CN ? CH₃OH}_n (H₂L=N,N′‐bis(3‐methoxysalicylidene)‐1,3‐diaminopropane, Tp*=hydridotris(3,5‐dimethylpyrazol‐1‐yl)borate; Ln=Gd ( 1 ), Dy ( 2 ), Tb ( 3 ), Nd ( 4 )), have been synthesized and structurally characterized. All of these compounds are made up of a neutral cyanide‐ and phenolate‐bridged heterotrimetallic chain, with a {? Fe? C?N? Ni(? O? Ln)? N?C? }_n repeat unit. Within these chains, each [(Tp*)Fe(CN)₃]^? entity binds to the Ni^II ion of the [Ni(L)Ln(NO₃)₂(H₂O)]⁺ motif through two of its three cyanide groups in a cis mode, whereas each [Ni(L)Ln(NO₃)₂(H₂O)]⁺ unit is linked to two [(Tp*)Fe(CN)₃]^? ions through the Ni^II ion in a trans mode. In the [Ni(L)Ln(NO₃)₂(H₂O)]⁺ unit, the Ni^II and Ln^III ions are bridged to one other through two phenolic oxygen atoms of the ligand (L). Compounds 1 – 4 are rare examples of 1D cyanide‐ and phenolate‐bridged 3d–3d′–4f helical chain compounds. As expected, strong ferromagnetic interactions are observed between neighboring Fe^III and Ni^II ions through a cyanide bridge and between neighboring Ni^II and Ln^III (except for Nd^III) ions through two phenolate bridges. Further magnetic studies show that all of these compounds exhibit single‐chain magnetic behavior. Compound 2 exhibits the highest effective energy barrier (58.2 K) for the reversal of magnetization in 3d/4d/5d–4f heterotrimetallic single‐chain magnets.     

Nickel(II)–Lanthanide(III) Magnetic Exchange Coupling Influencing Single‐Molecule Magnetic Features in {Ni2Ln2} Complexes

Four isostructural [Ni₂Ln₂(CH₃CO₂)₃(HL)₄(H₂O)₂]³⁺(Ln³⁺=Dy ( 1 ), Tb ( 2 ), Ho ( 3 ) or Lu ( 4 )) complexes and a dinuclear [NiGd(HL)₂(NO₃)₃] ( 5 ) complex are reported (where HL=2‐methoxy‐6‐[(E)‐2′‐hydroxymethyl‐phenyliminomethyl]‐phenolate). For compounds 1 – 3 and 5 , the Ni²⁺ ions are ferromagnetically coupled to the respective lanthanide ions. The ferromagnetic coupling in 1 suppresses the quantum tunnelling of magnetisation (QTM), resulting in a rare zero dc field Ni–Dy single‐molecule magnet, with an anisotropy barrier U_eff of 19 K.