Family of double-cubane Mn4Ln2 (Ln = Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho) and Mn4Y2 complexes: a new Mn4Tb2 single-molecule magnet

The synthesis and characterization of a family of Mn(2)(III)Mn(2)(II)Ln(III)(2) complexes (Ln = Gd (1), Tb (2), Dy (3), and Ho (4)) of formula Mn(4)Ln(2)O(2)(O(2)CBu(t))(6)(edteH(2))(2)(NO(3))(2)] are reported, where edteH(4) is N,N,N',N'-tetrakis(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine. The analogous Mn(4)Y(2) (5) complex has also been prepared. They were obtained from reaction of Ln(NO(3))(3) or Y(NO(3))(3) with Mn(O(2)CBu(t))(2), edteH(4), and NEt(3) in a 2:3:1:2 molar ratio. The crystal structures of representative 1 and 2 were obtained, and their core consists of a face-fused double-cubane Mn(4)Ln(2)(μ(4)-O(2-))(2)(μ(3)-OR)(4)] unit. Such double-cubane units are extremely rare in 3d metal chemistry and unprecedented in 3d-4f chemistry. Variable-temperature, solid-state dc and ac magnetic susceptibility studies on 1-5 were carried out. Fitting of dc χ(M)T vs T data for 5 gave J(bb) (Mn(III)···Mn(III)) = -32.6(9) cm(-1), J(wb) (Mn(II)···Mn(III)) = +0.5(2) cm(-1), and g = 1.96(1), indicating a |n, 0, n> (n = 0-5) 6-fold-degenerate ground state. The data for 1 indicate an S = 12 ground state, confirmed by fitting of magnetization data, which gave S = 12, D = 0.00(1) cm(-1), and g = 1.93(1) (D is the axial zero-field splitting parameter). This ground state identifies the Mn(II)···Gd(III) interactions to be ferromagnetic. The ac susceptibility data independently confirmed the conclusions about 1 and 5 and revealed that 2 displays slow relaxation of the magnetization vector for the Mn(4)Tb(2) analogue 2. The latter was confirmed as a single-molecule magnet by observation of hysteresis below 0.9 K in magnetization vs dc field scans on a single crystal of 2·MeCN on a micro-SQUID apparatus. The hysteresis loops also displayed well-resolved quantum tunneling of magnetization steps, only the second 3d-4f SMM to do so.