Mossbauer Study of the Effect of Intraligand Substituents on the Spin Crossover in Solid (Dithiocyanato)BIS(N-Substituted-Phenyl-2-Pyridinaldimine) Iron (II)

The spin transition of high-spin (^sT₂?)low-spin (¹A₁) of (dithiocyanato) (N-phenyl-2-pyridinaldimine) iron (II) complexes can be altered by substituents on the phenyl ring. Mössbauer spectra at 78K for the 4-substituted derivatives (with the exception of the 4-OH-substituted derivative) indicate that the fraction of low-spin states increases with decreasing substituent electron-withdrawing ability, as measured by the Hammet σ constant (4-OCH₃<4-CH₃CONH 4-C₆H₅<4-CH₃<4-H<4-Cl<4-NO₂). In addition, the effect of methyl-substitution at the ortho-, meta- or paraposition of the phenyl ring on the spin transition was examined. Mössbauer spectra of these methyl-substituted complexes reveal quite different spin equilibria.