Syntheses, crystal structures, and magnetic properties of two monometallic tri-spin complexes involving nitronyl nitroxide radicals-lanthanide ions

Two new lanthanide-radical complexes Ln(Hfac)₃(NIT-4PhAllO)₂](Ln(III) = Gd (I), Tb (II); Hfac = hexafluoroacetylacetonate; NIT-4PhAllO = 4′-allyloxyphenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide) have been prepared and characterized in structurally as well as magnetically. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analyses reveal that two complexes are isostructural with mononuclear tri-spin structure, in which the metal ions are eight-coordinated in distorted dodecahedron geometry. The nitronyl nitroxide radicals act as monodentate ligands towards Ln(Hfac)₃ unit through the oxygen atom of the nitronyl nitroxide group. Magnetic studies reveal that the Gd-coordinated nitroxide interaction is ferromagnetic.