Soluble Complexes of Cobalt Oxide Fragments Bring the Unique CO2 Photoreduction Activity of a Bulk Material into the Flexible Domain of Molecular Science.

The deposition of metal oxides is essential to the fabrication of numerous multicomponent solid-state devices and catalysts. However, the reproducible formation of homogeneous metal oxide films or of nanoparticle dispersions at solid interfaces remains an ongoing challenge. Here we report that molecular hexaniobate cluster anion complexes of structurally and electronically distinct fragments of cubic-spinel and monoclinic Co3O4 can serve as tractable yet well-defined functional analogues of bulk cobalt oxide. Notably, the energies of the highest-occupied and lowest-unoccupied molecular orbitals (HOMO and LUMO) of the molecular complexes, 1, closely match the valence- and conduction-band (VB and CB) energies of the parent bulk oxides. Use of 1 as a molecular analogue of the parent oxides is demonstrated by its remarkably simple deployment as a cocatalyst for direct Z-scheme reduction of CO2 by solar light and water. Namely, evaporation of an aqueous solution of 1 on TiO2-coated fluorinated tin oxide windows (TiO2/FTO), immersion in wet acetonitrile, and irradiation by simulated solar light under an atmosphere of CO2 give H2, CO, and CH4 in ratios nearly identical to those obtained using 20 nm spinel-Co3O4 nanocrystals, but 15 times more rapidly on a Co basis and more rapidly overall than other reported systems. Detailed investigation of the photocatalytic properties of 1 on TiO2/FTO includes confirmation of a direct Z-scheme charge-carrier migration pathway by in situ irradiated X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. More generally, the findings point to a potentially important new role for coordination chemistry that bridges the conceptual divide between molecular and solid-state science.

Exploiting clock transitions for the chemical design of resilient molecular spin qubits.

Molecular spin qubits are chemical nanoobjects with promising applications that are so far hampered by the rapid loss of quantum information, a process known as decoherence. A strategy to improve this situation involves employing so-called Clock Transitions (CTs), which arise at anticrossings between spin energy levels. At CTs, the spin states are protected from magnetic noise and present an enhanced quantum coherence. Unfortunately, these optimal points are intrinsically hard to control since their transition energy cannot be tuned by an external magnetic field; moreover, their resilience towards geometric distortions has not yet been analyzed. Here we employ a python-based computational tool for the systematic theoretical analysis and chemical optimization of CTs. We compare three relevant case studies with increasingly complex ground states. First, we start with vanadium(iv)-based spin qubits, where the avoided crossings are controlled by hyperfine interaction and find that these S = 1/2 systems are very promising, in particular in the case of vanadyl complexes in an L-band pulsed EPR setup. Second, we proceed with a study of the effect of symmetry distortions in a holmium polyoxotungstate of formula [Ho(W5O18)2]9- where CTs had already been experimentally demonstrated. Here we determine the relative importance of the different structural distortions that causes the anticrossings. Third, we study the most complicated case, a polyoxopalladate cube [HoPd12(AsPh)8O32]5- which presents an unusually rich ground spin multiplet. This system allows us to find uniquely favorable CTs that could nevertheless be accessible with standard pulsed EPR equipment (X-band or Q-band) after a suitable chemical distortion to break the perfect cubic symmetry. Since anticrossings and CTs constitute a rich source of physical phenomena in very different kinds of quantum systems, the generalization of this study is expected to have impact not only in molecular spin science but also in other related fields such as molecular photophysics and photochemistry.

Synthesis and Magnetic Properties of a Copper Cube: [Cu4(OH)4(C16H18N2)4]4+ (ClO4)4 C3H6O [C16H18N2=(E)-1,6-[Di(pyridin-4-yl)hex-3-ene].

The synthesis of a Cu4(OH)4 cube which is coordinated by four molecules of the dipyridyl ligand 1,6-[di(pyridin-4-yl)hex-3-ene] is reported. This compound has a trans double bond which restricts the conformational freedom of the ligand and favours coordination within a unique copper cube. The structure was solved by an X-Ray single crystal structure determination and low temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements examined its magnetic properties. The cube classification corresponds to the type I classification of Mergehenn and Haase and the short/long distribution of Cu ⋅⋅⋅ Cu separations in the cube as defined by Ruiz. The magnetic susceptibility measurements show paramagnetic behaviour down to 50 K but below this the copper cube shows weak ferromagnetic exchange interactions. The low temperature magnetic susceptibility characteristics are examined in detail then modelled and compared to other similar Cu4O4 copper cubes.

VIBPACK: A package to treat multidimensional electron-vibrational molecular problems with application to magnetic and optical properties.

We present a FORTRAN code based on a new powerful and efficient computational approach to solve multidimensional dynamic Jahn-Teller and pseudo Jahn-Teller problems. This symmetry-assisted approach constituting a theoretical core of the program is based on the full exploration of the point symmetry of the electronic and vibrational states. We also report some selected examples of increasing complexity aimed to display the theoretical background as well as the advantages and capabilities of the program to evaluate of the energy pattern, magnetic and optical properties of large multimode vibronic systems. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Large Magnetic Polyoxometalates Containing the Cobalt Cubane '[CoIIICo 3II (OH)3(H2O)6-m(PW9O34)]3-' (m = 3 or 5) as a Subunit.

A synthetic procedure is presented to construct new magnetic polyoxometalates (POMs) containing one or two subunits of '[CoIIICo 3II (OH)3(H2O)6-m(PW9O34)]3-' (m = 3 or 5). The substitution of the water ligands present in these subunits by oxo or hydroxo ligands belonging to other POM fragments, gives rise to four, larger POM anions: [Co7(OH)6(H2O)6(PW9O34)2]9- (2), [Co7(OH)6(H2O)4(PW9O34)2] n9n- (2'), [Co11(OH)5(H2O)5(W6O24)(PW9O34)3]22- (3) and [{Co4(OH)3(H2O)(PW9O34)}2{K⊂(H2W12O41)2}{Co(H2O)4}2]17- (4). The crystal structures, magnetic characterization and stabilities in aqueous solutions of these POM derivatives are also presented.

Electrically switchable magnetic exchange in the vibronic model of linear mixed valence triferrocenium complex.

In this article, we report our development of a vibronic model for the electric-field control of antiferromagnetic superexchange in the mixed-valence (MV) triferrocenium complex FeIII-FeII-FeIII proposed as a possible candidate for the molecular implementation of a quantum logic gate. Along with the electronic interactions, such as electron transfer between the iron ions in different oxidation degrees and Coulomb repulsion of the extra holes, the proposed model of the triferrocenium complex also takes into account the vibronic coupling as an inherent ingredient of the problem of mixed valency. The latter is described by the conventional Piepho-Krauzs-Shatz (PKS) model adapted to the linear disposition of the redox sites in the trimeric FeIII-FeII-FeIII complex, which gives a clear insight into the degree of delocalization in mixed-valence compounds. By introducing symmetry adapted molecular vibrations composed of the local "breathing" displacements, the three-mode vibronic problem is reduced to a two-mode problem involving interaction with the even and odd molecular vibrations of the linear centrosymmetric complex. The vibronic coupling was shown to play a key role in the degree of localization of the two holes among the three iron centers. This was shown to produce a pronounced influence on the electric-field dependences of the electronic-density distributions and electrically switchable magnetic exchange in the considered linear triferrocenium complex. In particular, it was shown that the vibronic coupling significantly influences the field-induced stepwise transformation FeIII-FeII-FeIII ↔ FeIII-FeIII-FeII, increasing the abruptness of the field dependencies of the singlet-triplet gap and the hole densities, which are of primary importance for the switching function.

Light-induced decarboxylation in a photo-responsive iron-containing complex based on polyoxometalate and oxalato ligands.

A new photoresponsive molecular polyanion in which two Fe(iii) ions are simultaneously coordinated by two [A-α-PW9O34]9- polyoxometalate units and two oxalato ligands has been obtained. When irradiated with UV light its potassium salt, 1, exhibits a remarkable photocoloration effect, attributable to the partial reduction of the POM units to give rise to a mixed-valence species. The photoinduced process is intramolecular and involves electron transfer from the oxalato ligands, which partially decompose releasing CO2, towards the Fe(iii) and the POM. This mechanism has been confirmed by DRS, IR, XPS and Mössbauer spectroscopy, magnetism and elemental analysis. An analogous derivative of 1 containing malonato ligands does not exhibit such photoactive behaviour, which is evidence that the oxalate ligand is essential for the photoactivity of 1. To our knowledge, 1 represents the first POM-based compound in which the photocoloration effect does not require the presence of intermolecular short interactions.

A decacobalt(ii) cluster with triple-sandwich structure obtained by partial reductive hydrolysis of a pentacobalt(ii/iii) Weakley-type polyoxometalate.

Partial reductive hydrolysis of a penta-CoII/III cluster [Co(H2O)2(CoIIIW9O34)(PW9O34)]12- (1) leads to the formation of [Co2{Co3(H2O)(Co(OH)2W7O26)(PW9O34)}2]22- (2). This polyoxometalate is made up of two capping [PW9O34]9- units and two bridging [W7O26]10- units that assemble to encapsulate a novel deca-CoII cluster core comprising octahedral and tetrahedral CoII ions.

Single ion magnets based on lanthanoid polyoxomolybdate complexes.

Polyoxometalate (POM) chemistry has recently offered excellent examples of single ion magnets (SIMs) and molecular spin qubits. Compared with conventional coordination compounds, POMs provide rigid and highly symmetric coordination sites. However, all POM-based SIMs reported to date exhibit a very limited range of possibilities for chemical processability. We present herein two new families of POM-based SIMs which are soluble in organic solvents: [Ln(ß-Mo8O26)2]5- {LnIII = Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm and Yb} and the functionalised POMs [Ln{Mo5O13(OMe)4NNC6H4-p-NO2}2]3- {LnIII = Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Yb and Nd}. In addition, these two families represent the first SIMs based on polyoxomolybdates. A magneto-structural analysis of these families is presented, which is based on an effective crystal field model, and compared with the results reported in analogous lanthanoid SIMs based on polyoxotungstates.

SIMPRE1.2: Considering the hyperfine and quadrupolar couplings and the nuclear spin bath decoherence.

SIMPRE is a fortran77 code which uses an effective electrostatic model of point charges to predict the magnetic behavior of rare-earth-based mononuclear complexes. In this article, we present SIMPRE1.2, which now takes into account two further phenomena. First, SIMPRE now considers the hyperfine and quadrupolar interactions within the rare-earth ion, resulting in a more complete and realistic set of energy levels and wave functions. Second, and to widen SIMPRE's predictive capabilities regarding potential molecular spin qubits, it now includes a routine that calculates an upper-bound estimate of the decoherence time considering only the dipolar coupling between the electron spin and the surrounding nuclear spin bath. Additionally, SIMPRE now allows the user to introduce the crystal field parameters manually. Thus, we are able to demonstrate the new features using as examples (i) a Gd-based mononuclear complex known for its properties both as a single ion magnet and as a coherent qubit and (ii) an Er-based mononuclear complex. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Cobalt Clusters with Cubane-Type Topologies Based on Trivacant Polyoxometalate Ligands.

Four novel cobalt-substituted polyoxometalates having cobalt cores exhibiting cubane or dicubane topologies have been synthesized and characterized by IR, elemental analysis, electrochemistry, UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray single-crystal analysis, and magnetic studies. The tetracobalt(II)-substituted polyoxometalate [Co4(OH)3(H2O)6(PW9O34)](4-) (1) consists of a trilacunary [B-α-PW9O34](9-) unit which accommodates a cubane-like {Co(II)4O4} core. In the heptacobalt(II,III)-containing polyoxometalates [Co7(OH)6(H2O)6(PW9O34)2](9-) (2), [Co7(OH)6(H2O)4(PW9O34)2]n(9n-) (3), and [Co7(OH)6(H2O)6(P2W15O56)2](15-) (4), dicubane-like {Co(II)6Co(III)O8} cores are encapsulated between two heptadentate [B-α-PW9O34](9-) (in 2 and 3) or [α-P2W15O56](15-) (in 4) ligands. While 1, 2, and 4 are discrete polyoxometalates, 3 exhibits a polymeric, chain-like structure that results from the condensation of polyoxoanions of type 2. The magnetic properties of these complexes have been fitted according to an anisotropic exchange model in the low-temperature regime and discussed on the basis of ferromagnetic interactions between Co(2+) ions with angles Co-L-Co (L = O, OH) close to orthogonality and weakly antiferromagnetic interactions between Co(2+) ions connected through central diamagnetic Co(3+) ion. Moreover, we will show the interest of the unique spin structures provided by these cubane and dicubane cobalt topologies in molecular spintronics (molecular spins addressed though an electric field) and quantum computing (spin qu-gates).

Electrically switchable magnetic molecules: inducing a magnetic coupling by means of an external electric field in a mixed-valence polyoxovanadate cluster.

Herein we evaluate the influence of an electric field on the coupling of two delocalized electrons in the mixed-valence polyoxometalate (POM) [GeV14 O40 ](8-) (in short V14 ) by using both a t-J model Hamiltonian and DFT calculations. In absence of an electric field the compound is paramagnetic, because the two electrons are localized on different parts of the POM. When an electric field is applied, an abrupt change of the magnetic coupling between the two delocalized electrons can be induced. Indeed, the field forces the two electrons to localize on nearest-neighbors metal centers, leading to a very strong antiferromagnetic coupling. Both theoretical approaches have led to similar results, emphasizing that the sharp spin transition induced by the electric field in the V14 system is a robust phenomenon, intramolecular in nature, and barely influenced by small changes on the external structure.

Molecular anisotropy analysis of single-ion magnets using an effective electrostatic model.

Simple electrostatic models have been shown to successfully rationalize the magnetic properties of mononuclear single molecule magnets based on f-elements and even to predict the direction of the magnetic anisotropy axis in these nanomagnets. In this Article, we go a step forward by showing that these models, conveniently modified to account for the covalency effects, are able to predict not only the easy axis direction but also the three components of the magnetic anisotropy. Thus, by using a lone pair effective charge (LPEC) model we can fully reproduce the angular dependence of the magnetic susceptibility in single crystals of pentamethylcyclopentadienyl-Er-cyclooctatetraene single-ion magnet. Furthermore, the parametrization of the ligands obtained in this study has been extrapolated to successfully reproduce spectroscopic data of a set of mononuclear lanthanoid complexes based on the same kind of ligands, thus emphasizing the predictive character of this model.

An updated version of the computational package SIMPRE that uses the standard conventions for Stevens crystal field parameters.

The crystal field approach used by SIMPRE is analyzed, verifying the exactness of the results concerning energy levels and magnetic properties calculated by the package. To coincide with the prevailing conventions, we reformulate the presentation of the crystal field parameters, so that the results are now, also from a formal point of view, strictly correct. New calculations are presented to test the influence of neglecting the excited J states, a common but critical approximation employed by SIMPRE. For that, we examine the case of Er(trensal) complex (H3 trensal = 2,2',2″-tris(salicylideneimino)triethylamine) where the influence of this approximation is found to be minimal. A patched version of the code, SIMPRE 1.1, and an updated version of the user manual are now available. Finally, we comment on "Software package SIMPRE - revisited," which apparently revisits a software package without inspecting or using the code.

Construction of a general library for the rational design of nanomagnets and spin qubits based on mononuclear f-block complexes. The polyoxometalate case.

This paper belongs to a series of contributions aiming at establishing a general library that helps in the description of the crystal field (CF) effect of any ligand on the splitting of the J ground states of mononuclear f-element complexes. Here, the effective parameters associated with the oxo ligands (effective charges and metal-ligand distances) are extracted from the study of the magnetic properties of the first two families of single-ion magnets based on lanthanoid polyoxometalates (POMs), formulated as [Ln(W5O18)2](9-) and [Ln(ß2-SiW11O39)2](13-) (Ln = Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb). This effective CF approach provides a good description of the lowest-lying magnetic levels and the associated wave functions of the studied systems, which is fully consistent with the observed magnetic behavior. In order to demonstrate the predictive character of this model, we have extended our model in a first step to calculate the properties of the POM complexes of the early 4f-block metals. In doing so, [Nd(W5O18)2](9-) has been identified as a suitable candidate to exhibit SMM behavior. Magnetic experiments have confirmed such a prediction, demonstrating the usefulness of this strategy for the directed synthesis of new nanomagnets. Thus, with an effective barrier of 51.4 cm(-1) under an applied dc field of 1000 Oe, this is the second example of a Nd(3+)-based single-ion magnet.

Supramolecular 2D/3D isomerism in a compound containing heterometallic Cu(II)2Co(II) nodes and dicyanamide bridges.

Three new heterometallic copper(II)-cobalt(II) complexes [(CuL(2))2Co{dca}2]·H2O(1), [(CuL(1))2Co{dca}2]n (2a), and [(CuL(1))2Co{dca}2]n (2b) [dca(-) = dicyanamide = N(CN)2(-)] have been synthesized by reacting the "metallo-ligand" [CuL(1)] or [CuL(2)] with cobalt(II) perchlorate and sodium dicyanamide in methanol-water medium (where H2L(1) = N,N'-bis(salicylidene)-1,3-propanediamine and H2L(2) = N,N'-bis(α-methylsalicylidene)-1,3-propanediamine). The three complexes have been structurally and magnetically characterized. Complex 1 is a discrete trinuclear species in which two metallo-ligands coordinate to a cobalt(II) ion through the phenoxido oxygen atoms along with two terminally coordinated dicyanamide ions. On the other hand, complexes 2a and 2b are one of the very scarce examples of supramolecular isomers since they present the same [(CuL(1))2Co{dca}2] trinuclear units (very similar to the trinuclear core in 1) and differ only in their superstructures. Thus, although each Cu2Co trimer in 2a and 2b is connected to four other Cu2Co trimers through four µ1,5-dca(-) bridges, 2a presents a square two-dimensional structure (each Cu2Co trimer is connected to four in-plane Cu2Co trimers); whereas, 2b shows a triangular three-dimensional lattice (each Cu2Co trimer is connected to three in-plane and one out-of-plane trimers). Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements show the presence of moderate antiferromagnetic exchange interactions (ferrimagnetic) in all the cases mediated through the double phenoxido bridges that have been fitted with an anisotropic model including spin-orbit coupling in the central Co(II) ion.

Breathing effect in a cobalt phosphonate upon dehydration/rehydration: a single-crystal-to-single-crystal study.

Two cobalt phosphonates, [Co2(2,2'-bpy)2(H2O)(pbtcH)] (1) and [Co2(H2O)(pbtcH)(phen)2] (2; pbtcH5=5-phosphonatophenyl-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid, 2,2'-bpy=2,2'-bipyridine, phen=1,10-phenanthroline), with layer structures are reported. Compound 1 contains O-C-O and O-P-O bridged tetramers of Co4, which are further connected by pbtcH(4-) units to form a layer. In compound 2, the cobalt tetramers made up of water-bridged Co2 dimers and O-P-O linkages are connected into a layer by pbtcH(4-) units. Upon dehydration, compounds 1 and 2 experience single-crystal-to-single-crystal (SC-SC) structural transformations to form [Co2(2,2'-bpy)2(pbtcH)] (1 a) and [Co2(pbtcH)(phen)2] (2 a), respectively. The process is reversible in each case. Notably, a breathing effect is observed for 1, accompanied by pore opening and closing due to the reorientation of the coordinated 2,2'-bpy molecules. The transformation was also monitored by in situ IR measurements. Magnetic studies reveal that antiferromagnetic interactions are mediated between the magnetic centers in compounds 1 and 1 a, whereas ferromagnetic interactions are dominant in compound 2.

SIMPRE: a software package to calculate crystal field parameters, energy levels, and magnetic properties on mononuclear lanthanoid complexes based on charge distributions.

This work presents a fortran77 code based on an effective electrostatic model of point charges around a rare earth ion. The program calculates the full set of crystal field parameters, energy levels spectrum, and wave functions, as well as the magnetic properties such as the magnetization, the temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility, and the Schottky contribution to the specific heat. It is designed for real systems that need not bear ideal symmetry and it is able to determine the easy axis of magnetization. Its systematic application to different coordination environments allows magneto-structural studies. The package has already been successfully applied to several mononuclear systems with single-molecule magnetic behavior. The determination of effective point charge parameters in these studies facilitates its application to new systems. In this article, we illustrate its usage with two example studies: (a) an ideal cubic structure coordinating a lanthanoid ion and (b) a system with slow relaxation of the magnetization, LiHo(x)Y((1-x))F(4).

Modelling electric field control of the spin state in the mixed-valence polyoxometalate [GeV14O40]8-.

The two-electron reduced mixed-valence polyoxometalate [GeV14O40](8-) presents an unusual paramagnetic behaviour as a consequence of the partial trapping of these electrons. The effect of applying an electric field is that of inducing antiferromagnetic coupling between the two delocalized electronic spins.

Coherent manipulation of spin qubits based on polyoxometalates: the case of the single ion magnet [GdW30P5O110]14-.

Polyoxometalate single ion magnet [GdW30P5O110](14-) (1) has been studied by generalized Rabi oscillation experiments. It was possible to increase the number of coherent rotations tenfold through matching the Rabi frequency with the frequency of the proton. Achieving high coherence with polyoxometalate chemistry, we show its excellent potential not only for the storage of quantum information but even for the realization of quantum algorithms.