Magnetic properties of nitronylnitroxide and iminonitroxide triradicals as model compounds for generalized ferrimagnets

A novel iminonitroxide triradical, p-triIN (1), has been synthesized, in which a π-conjugated biradical with a singlet ground state and a doublet monoradical are united by σ-bonds. The intramolecular exchange interaction within the para-phenylene-based biradical moiety has been found to be antiferromagnetic (2J(π)/k_B = −30.8 K) from magnetic susceptibility measurements on a parent biradical, p-bisIN (2). The magnetic properties of 1 have been examined by magnetic susceptibility χ_m. Upon cooling, the χ_mT value for 1 has decreased and passed across 0.38 emu mol⁻¹ K, which is expected for one mol of S = 1/2 spin with g = 2.0. The magnetic behavior of 1 indicates that the ground state of the molecular assemblage of 1 in the crystal is diamagnetic, which is attributable to one of the exotic spin states as predicted in a theoretical model of generalized ferrimagnetism. The possible occurrence of the generalized ferrimagnetic spin alignment is concluded in view of the magnetic properties of 1.