Structure and bonding of the vanadium(III) hexa-aqua cation. 1. Experimental characterization and ligand-field analysis

Spectroscopic and crystallographic data are presented for salts containing the [V(OH(2))(6)](3+) cation, providing a rigorous test of the ability of the angular overlap model (AOM) to inter-relate the electronic and molecular structure of integer-spin complexes. High-field multifrequency EPR provides a very precise definition of the ground-state spin-Hamiltonian parameters, while single-crystal absorption measurements enable the energies of excited ligand-field states to be identified. The EPR study of vanadium(III) as an impurity in guanidinium gallium sulfate is particularly instructive, with fine-structure observed attributable to crystallographically distinct [V(OH(2))(6)](3+) cations, hyperfine coupling, and ferroelectric domains. The electronic structure of the complex depends strongly on the mode of coordination of the water molecules to the vanadium(III) cation, as revealed by single-crystal neutron and X-ray diffraction measurements, and is also sensitive to the isotopic abundance. It is shown that the AOM gives a very good account of the change in the electronic structure, as a function of geometric coordinates of the [V(OH(2))(6)](3+) cation. However, the ligand-field analysis is inconsistent with the profiles of electronic transitions between ligand-field terms.     

Synthesis of a thermally stable hybrid acene-thiophene organic semiconductor via a soluble precursor

An acene fused-thiophene hybrid p-semiconductor exhibiting high thermal stability has been synthesized via a soluble precursor bearing sterically interacting trimethylsilyl groups. [structure: see text]     

Synthesis, X-ray and neutron diffraction characterization, and ionic conduction properties of a new oxothiomolybdate Li3[Mo8S8O8(OH)8[HWO5(H2O)]] x 18H2O

The new oxothiomolybdate anion [Mo8S8O8(OH)8[HWO5(H2O)]]3- (denoted HMo8W3-) has been synthesized in aqueous solution by an acido-basic condensation reaction. Four (Mo(V)2S2O2) building blocks are connected through hydroxo bridges around a central [W(VI)O6] octahedron. X-ray and neutron diffraction studies have been performed on single crystals of the lithium salt Li3[Mo8S8O8(OH)8[HWO5(H2O)]] x 18H2O (Li3HMo8W x 18H2O) in an aqueous grown from HMo8W3- solution of LiCl (1 M). The neutron diffraction experiment enabled us to locate both the protons and the lithium ions. In the structure of Li3HMo8W x 18H20, ring-shaped anions interleaved by a cluster of disordered hydrogen-bonded water molecules stack on top of each other along lithium pillars. The lithium columns are formed by alternating edge-sharing octahedra and tetrahedra, with one lithium site in four being totally vacant. Ionic conductivity measurements on pressed pellets have shown that Li3HMo8W x 18H2O is a good ionic conductor at room temperature (sigma = 10(-5) S cm(-1)), but the ionic conductivity on single crystals is smaller by two orders of magnitude and is isotropic; this suggests the main path of conduction involves surface protons rather than lithium ions of the bulk.     

Molecule-Based Magnets: Ferro- and Antiferromagnetic Interactions in Copper(II)-Polyorganosiloxanolate Clusters

The magnetic behavior of the clusters [(PhSiO(2))(6)Cu(6)(O(2)SiPh)(6)].6EtOH (1), Na(4)[(PhSiO(2))(12)Cu(4)].8(n)()BuOH (2), and K(4)[(C(2)H(3)SiO(2))(12)Cu(4)].6(n)()BuOH (3) has been investigated by combined magnetic susceptibility measurements and variable-temperature EPR techniques (9.25 and 245 GHz). The six copper(II) ions in the core of 1, which approaches 6/mmm symmetry, are ferromagnetically coupled as a result of the geometry at the bridging siloxanolate oxygen atoms (Cu-O-Cu = 91.5-94.6 degrees; J = -42 cm(-)(1) with H = J S(i)().S(i)()(+1), S(7) = S(1)). The ground S = 3 spin state is split in zero field mainly due to anisotropic exchange contributions (D = 0.30 cm(-)(1)). Notably, both the magnitude and the sign of the zero-field splitting parameter have been determined from HF-EPR spectra. Large antiferromagnetic Cu-Cu interactions (J approximately 200 cm(-)(1)) and an S = 0 ground state have been detected in the tetranuclear clusters 2 and 3 as a consequence of the larger Cu-O-Cu angles. The results presented in the paper are relevant to the search for new molecule-based magnetic materials.     

Chemical tuning of spin clock transitions in molecular monomers based on nuclear spin-free Ni(ii)

We report the existence of a sizeable quantum tunnelling splitting between the two lowest electronic spin levels of mononuclear Ni complexes. The level anti-crossing, or magnetic “clock transition”, associated with this gap has been directly monitored by heat capacity experiments. The comparison of these results with those obtained for a Co derivative, for which tunnelling is forbidden by symmetry, shows that the clock transition leads to an effective suppression of intermolecular spin–spin interactions. In addition, we show that the quantum tunnelling splitting admits a chemical tuning via the modification of the ligand shell that determines the crystal field and the magnetic anisotropy. These properties are crucial to realize model spin qubits that combine the necessary resilience against decoherence, a proper interfacing with other qubits and with the control circuitry and the ability to initialize them by cooling.

We have directly monitored spin level anti-crossings, or “clock transitions”, in Ni(ii) molecular monomers and shown that the quantum tunnelling gap admits a chemical tuning.     

Multifrequency EPR study and density functional g-tensor calculations of persistent organorhenium radical complexes

The dinuclear radical anion complexes [(mu-L)[Re(CO)(3)Cl](2)](*)(-), L = 2,2'-azobispyridine (abpy) and 2,2'-azobis(5-chloropyrimidine) (abcp), were investigated by EPR at 9.5, 94, 230, and 285 GHz (abpy complex) and at 9.5 and 285 GHz (abcp complex). Whereas the X-band measurements yielded only the isotropic metal hyperfine coupling of the (185,187)Re isotopes, the high-frequency EPR experiments in glassy frozen CH(2)Cl(2)/toluene solution revealed the g components. Both the a((185,187)Re) value and the g anisotropy, g(1) - g(3), are larger for the abcp complex, which contains the better pi-accepting bridging ligand. Confirmation for this comes also from IR and UV/vis spectroscopy of the new [(mu-abcp)[Re(CO)(3)Cl](2)](o/)(*)(-)(/2)(-) redox system. The g values are reproduced reasonably well by density functional calculations which confirm higher metal participation at the singly occupied MO and therefore larger contributions from the metal atoms to the g anisotropy in abcp systems compared to abpy complexes. Additional calculations for a series of systems [(mu-abcp)[M(CO)(3)X](2)](*)(-) (M = Tc or Re and X = Cl, and X = F, Cl, or Br with M = Re) provided further insight into the relationship between spin density distribution and g anisotropy.     

The use of high field/frequency EPR in studies of radical and metal sites in proteins and small inorganic models

Low temperature electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy with frequencies between 95 and 345 GHz and magnetic fields up to 12 T have been used to study radicals and metal sites in proteins and small inorganic model complexes. We have studied radicals, Fe, Cu and Mn containing proteins. For S = 1/2 systems, the high frequency method can resolve the g-value anisotropy. It was used in mouse ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) to show the presence of a hydrogen bond to the tyrosyl radical oxygen. At 285 GHz the type 2 Cu(II) signal in the complex enzyme laccase is clearly resolved from the Hg(II) containing laccase peroxide adduct. For simple metal sites, the systems over S = 1/2 can be described by the spin Hamiltonian: H(S) = BgS + D[Sz2 - S(S + 1)/3 + E/D (Sx2 - Sy2)]. From the high frequency EPR the D-value can be determined directly by, (I) shifts of g(eff) for half-integer spin systems with large D-values as observed at 345 GHz on an Fe(II)-NO-EDTA complex, which is best described as S = 3/2 system with D = 11.5 cm(-1), E = 0.1 cm(-1) and gx = gy = gz = 2.0; (II) measuring the outermost signal, for systems with small D values, distant of (2S - 1) x absolute value(D) from the center of the spectrum as observed in S= 5/2 Fe(III)-EDTA. In Mn(II) substituted mouse RNR R2 protein the weakly interacting Mn(II) at X-band could be observed as decoupled Mn(II) at 285 GHz.     

High temperature NMR study of the local structure of molten LaF3-AF (A = Li, Na, K and Rb) mixtures

The local structures of molten lanthanum alkali fluoride binaries have been studied using HT NMR technique. The chemical shifts of (19)F, (23)Na and (139)La in solid and in liquid have been compared for AF (A = alkali) and LaF(3). In pure molten alkali fluorides, the polarisability of anion-cation pairs appears to be a key parameter to depict the observed evolution of (19)F chemical shifts. The influence of the composition has also been studied by measuring the chemical shifts in molten LaF(3)-AF as a function of LaF(3) concentration. A strong influence of the alkali influence is observed. The coordination number of lanthanum is decreased versus AF amount all the more since the alkali atomic number is high. Moreover, the more polarisable the alkali, the less bridging fluorines between the LaF(x) units.     

Anomalous diffusion of water in [BMIM][TFSI] room-temperature ionic liquid

We have studied the self-diffusion properties of butyl-methyl-imidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)-imide ([BMIM][TFSI]) + water system. The self-diffusion coefficients of cations, anions, and water molecules were determined by pulsed field gradient NMR. These measures were performed with increased water quantity up to saturation (from 0.3 to 30 mol %). Unexpected variations have been observed. The self-diffusion coefficient of every species increases with the quantity of water but not in the same order of magnitude. Whereas very similar evolutions are observed for the anion and cation, the increase is 25 times greater for water molecules. We interpret our data by the existence of phase separation at microscopic scale.     

The origin of transverse anisotropy in axially symmetric single molecule magnets

Single-crystal high-frequency electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy has been employed on a truly axial single molecule magnet of formula [Mn(12)O(12)(tBu-CH(2)CO(2))16(CH(3)OH)4].CH(3)OH to investigate the origin of the transverse magnetic anisotropy, a crucial parameter that rules the quantum tunneling of the magnetization. The crystal structure, including the absolute structure of the crystal used for EPR experiments, has been fully determined and found to belong to I4 tetragonal space group. The angular dependence of the resonance fields in the crystallographic ab plane shows the presence of high-order tetragonal anisotropy and strong dependence on the MS sublevels with the second-highest-field transition being angular independent. This was rationalized including competing fourth- and sixth-order transverse parameters in a giant spin Hamiltonian which describes the magnetic anisotropy in the ground S = 10 spin state of the cluster. To establish the origin of these anisotropy terms, the experimental results have been further analyzed using a simplified multispin Hamiltonian which takes into account the exchange interactions and the single ion magnetic anisotropy of the Mn(III) centers. It has been possible to establish magnetostructural correlations with spin Hamiltonian parameters up to the sixth order. Transverse anisotropy in axial single molecule magnets was found to originate from the multispin nature of the system and from the breakdown of the strong exchange approximation. The tilting of the single-ion easy axes of magnetization with respect to the 4-fold molecular axis of the cluster plays the major role in determining the transverse anisotropy. Counterintuitively, the projections of the single ion easy axes on the ab plane correspond to hard axes of magnetization.