Dual-radical-based molecular anisotropy and synergy effect of semi-conductivity and valence tautomerization in a photoswitchable coordination polymer.

Organic radicals are widely used as linkers or ligands to synthesize molecular magnetic materials. However, studies regarding the molecular anisotropies of radical-based magnetic materials and their multifunctionalities are rare. Herein, a photoisomerizable diarylethene ligand was used to form {[CoIII(3,5-DTSQ·-)(3,5-DTCat2-)]2(6F-DAE-py2)}·3CH3CN·H2O (o-1·3CH3CN·H2O, 6F-DAE-py2 = 1,2-bis(2-methyl-5-(4-pyridyl)-3-thienyl)perfluorocyclopentene), a valence-tautomeric (VT) coordination polymer. We directly observed dual radicals for a single crystal using high-field/-frequency (∼13.3 T and ∼360 GHz) electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy along the c-axis, which was further confirmed by angle-dependent Q-band EPR spectroscopy. Moreover, a conductive anomaly close to the VT transition temperature was observed only when probes were attached at the ab plane of the single crystal, indicative of synergy between valence tautomerism and conductivity. Structural anisotropy studies and density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that this synergy is due to electron transfer associated with valence tautomerism. This study presents the first example of dual-radical-based molecular anisotropy and charge-transfer-induced conductive anisotropy in a photoswitchable coordination polymer.

Structural, magnetic and theoretical analyses of anionic and cationic phthalocyaninato-terbium(III) double-decker complexes: magnetic relaxation via higher ligand-field sublevels enhanced by oxidation.

Crystal structural and magnetic analyses were performed for the anionic (1-) and cationic (1+) forms of phthalocyaninato-Tb3+ double-decker single-molecule magnets (SMMs). Both charged species showed slow magnetic relaxations and magnetic hysteresis characteristics for SMMs. 1+ showed longer magnetic relaxation times (τ) and higher activation energy for spin reversal (ΔE) than 1- did. Ligand field (LF) splitting calculated using ab initio methods revealed that the experimental ΔE values in 1- and 1+ were considerably larger than the first excited LF levels but rather close to the higher excited ones, indicating the magnetic relaxation via higher excited states.

Highly Oxidized States of Phthalocyaninato Terbium(III) Multiple-Decker Complexes Showing Structural Deformations, Biradical Properties and Decreases in Magnetic Anisotropy.

Presented here is a comprehensive study of highly oxidized multiple-decker complexes composed of TbIII and CdII ions and two to five phthalocyaninato ligands, which are stabilized by electron-donating n-butoxy groups. From X-ray structural analyses, all the complexes become axially compressed upon ligand oxidation, resulting in bowl-shaped distortions of the ligands. In addition, unusual coexistence of square antiprism and square prism geometries around metal ions was observed in +4e charged species. From paramagnetic 1 H NMR studies on the resulting series of triple, quadruple and quintuple-decker complexes, ligand oxidation leads to a decrease in the magnetic anisotropy, as predicted from theoretical calculations. Unusual paramagnetic shifts were observed in the spectra of the +2e charged quadruple and quintuple-decker complexes, indicating that those two species are actually unexpected triplet biradicals. Magnetic measurements revealed that the series of complexes show single-molecule magnet properties, which are controlled by the multi-step redox induced structural changes.

Coexistence of Spin-Lattice Relaxation and Phonon-Bottleneck Processes in GdIII -Phthlocyaninato Triple-Decker Complexes under Highly Diluted Conditions.

Gd3+ complexes have been shown to undergo unusual slow magnetic relaxation processes similar to those of single-molecule magnets (SMMs), even though Gd3+ does not exhibit strong magnetic anisotropy. To reveal the origin of the slow magnetic relaxation of Gd3+ complexes, we have investigated the magnetic properties and heat capacities of two Gd3+ -phthalocyaninato triple-decker complexes, one of which has intramolecular Gd3+ -Gd3+ interactions and the other does not. It was found that the Gd3+ -Gd3+ interactions accelerate the magnetic relaxation processes. In addition, magnetically diluted samples, prepared by doping a small amount of the Gd3+ complexes into a large amount of diamagnetic Y3+ complexes, underwent dual magnetic relaxation processes. A detailed dynamic magnetic analysis revealed that the coexistence of spin-lattice relaxation and phonon-bottleneck processes is the origin of the dual magnetic relaxation processes.

Manipulation of the Coordination Geometry along the C4 Rotation Axis in a Dinuclear Tb3+ Triple-Decker Complex via a Supramolecular Approach.

A supramolecular complex (1⋅C60 ) was prepared by assembling (C60-Ih)[5,6]fullerene (C60 ) with the dinuclear Tb3+ triple-decker complex [(TPP)Tb(Pc)Tb(TPP)] (1: Tb3+ =trivalent terbium ion, Pc2- =phthalocyaninato, TPP2- =tetraphenylporphyrinato) with quasi-D4h symmetry to investigate the relationship between the coordination symmetry and single-molecule magnet (SMM) properties. Tb3+ -Pc triple-decker complexes (Tb2 Pc3 ) have an important advantage over Tb3+ -Pc double-decker complexes (TbPc2 ) since the magnetic relaxation processes correspond to the Zeeman splitting when there are two 4f spin systems. The two Tb3+ sites of 1 are equivalent, and the twist angle (φ) was determined to be 3.62°. On the other hand, the two Tb3+ sites of 1⋅C60 are not equivalent. The φ values for sites Tb1 and Tb2 were determined to be 3.67° and 33.8°, respectively, due to a change in the coordination symmetry of 1 upon association with C60 . At 1.8 K, 1 and 1⋅C60 undergo different magnetic relaxations, and the changes in the ground state affect the spin dynamics. Although 1 and 1⋅C60 relax via QTM in a zero applied magnetic field (H), H dependencies of the magnetic relaxation times (τ) for H>1500 Oe are similar. On the other hand, for H<1500 Oe, the τ values have different behaviors since the off-diagonal terms ( B k q ; q ≠ 0 ) affect the magnetic relaxation mechanism. From temperature (T) and H dependences of τ, spin-phonon interactions along with direct and Raman mechanisms explain the spin dynamics. We believe that a supramolecular method can be used to control the magnetic anisotropy along the C4 rotation axis and the spin dynamic properties in dinuclear Ln3+ -Pc multiple-decker complexes.

A single-ion single-electron cerrous magnet.

Herein, we present monometallic Ln(iii) complexes [L3Ln(NO3)3] [where Ln = Ce (1) and La (2)] assembled from a simple reaction of the respective lanthanide nitrate hydrate and a bulky phosphonic diamide tBuPO(NHiPr)2 ligand (L), where complex 1 behaves as a single-ion single-electron magnet under a small applied magnetic field. The Ce(iii) ion occupies a nine-coordinate distorted muffin-like coordination environment. The combination of direct and Raman process dominates the relaxation dynamics in 1 under the applied dc field. The low-temperature measurements performed with oriented crystals on a micro-SQUID setup exhibits strong tunnelling at zero-field, consistent with the theoretical results where strong mixing of the ground state with higher excited mJ levels is detected and also throws additional insights on the relaxation dynamics of 1. Ab initio calculations have been performed to understand the origin of anisotropy and models have been proposed for future directions.

Boosting axiality in stable high-coordinate Dy(iii) single-molecule magnets.

A new nine-coordinate, air-stable Dy(iii) single-ion magnet has been successfully isolated. Our in silico studies demonstrate that through carefully modulating the ligand electronics, the axiality can be boosted to generate Ucal barriers of over 600 K.

Structure Switching and Modulation of the Magnetic Properties in Diarylethene-Bridged Metallosupramolecular Compounds by Controlled Coordination-Driven Self-Assembly.

We report three self-assembled iron complexes that comprised an anti-parallel open form (o-Lanti ), a parallel open form (o-Lsyn ), and a closed form (c-L) of diarylethene conformers. Under kinetic control, FeII 2 (o-Lanti )3 was isolated, which exhibited a dinuclear structure with diamagnetic properties. Under light-irradiation control, FeII 2 (c-L)3 was prepared and exhibited paramagnetism and spin-crossover behaviour. Under thermodynamic control and in the presence of indispensable [FeIII (Tp*)(CN)3 ]- , FeII 2 (o-Lanti )3 and FeII 2 (c-L)3 transformed into tetranuclear FeIII 2 FeII 2 (o-Lsyn )2 , which exhibited complete spin-crossover behaviour at T1/2 =353 K.

A new member of a class of rod-like Mn12 single molecule magnets using 2-(pyridine-2-ly)propan-2-ol.

This paper reports on the synthesis, structure and magnetic properties of a new type of rod like Mn12 metal cluster, [Mn12O7(OH)2(OMe)2(dmhmp)4(O2CPh)11(H2O)] (6) where the ligand (dmhmpH) is 2-(pyridine-2-yl)propan-2-ol. Compound (6) was obtained by reacting MnCl2·4H2O with dmhmpH in the presence of benzoic salt and Et3N. The resulting crystalline material is assigned to the triclinic space group P1̄. Although compound (6) displays ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic competition behavior, this does not prevent the molecule from functioning as a single-molecule magnet (SMM). The SMM behavior is evidenced by observing frequency dependent out-of-phase ac signals as well as magnetization hysteresis loops at low temperatures in a micro-SQUID study. A brief comparison between all rod-like Mn12 materials is also given in the manuscript.

Dysprosium Single-Molecule Magnets with Bulky Schiff Base Ligands: Modification of the Slow Relaxation of the Magnetization by Substituent Change.

The synthesis, and magnetic and photoluminescence investigations of two bifunctional dysprosium complexes based on tridentate Schiff base ligands is reported. Magnetic investigations reveal a genuine single-molecule magnet (SMM) behavior, with out-of-phase signals up to 60 K, and tunable emission arising from the Schiff base ligands.

Thermodynamic stability and structure in aqueous solution of the [Cu(PTA)4]+ complex (PTA = aminophosphine­1,3,5­triaza­7­phosphaadamantane).

The chemistry of copper(I) with water-soluble phosphines is an emergent area of study which has the objective of finding ligands that stabilize copper in its lower oxidation state. Cu(I) has been found relevant in the mechanism of copper transports into cells, and the accessibility of this oxidation state has implications in oxidative stress processes. For these reasons the possibility to deal with stable, water soluble copper(I) is an attractive approach for devising new biologically relevant metal-based drugs and chelating agents. Here we present the X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and UV-visible spectrophotometric study of the [Cu(PTA)4]BF4 complex (PTA = aminophosphine­1,3,5­triaza­7­phosphaadamantane). In particular, we have studied the stability of the [Cu(PTA)n]+ species (n = 2-4) in aqueous medium, and their speciation as a function of the total [Cu(PTA)4]BF4 concentration by means of competitive UV-visible spectrophotometric titrations using metallochromic indicators. Also, the structure in solution of the Cu(I)/PTA species and the nature of the first coordination sphere of the metal were studied by transformed XAS. Both techniques allowed to study samples with total [Cu(PTA)4]BF4 concentration down to 68-74 µM, possibly relevant for biological applications. Overall, our data suggest that the [Cu(PTA)n]+ species are stable in solution, among which [Cu(PTA)2]+ has a remarkable thermodynamic stability. The tendency of this last complex to form adducts with N-donor ligands is demonstrated by the spectrophotometric data. The biological relevance of PTA towards Cu(I), especially in terms of chemotreatments and chelation therapy, is discussed on the basis of the speciation model the Cu(I)/PTA system.

Observation of Cooperative Electronic Quantum Tunneling: Increasing Accessible Nuclear States in a Molecular Qudit.

As an extension of two-level quantum bits (qubits), multilevel systems, so-called qu dits, where d represents the Hilbert space dimension, have been predicted to reduce the number of iterations in quantum-computation algorithms. This has been tested in the well-known [TbPc2]0 single-molecule magnet (SMM), which allowed implementation of the Grover algorithm in a single molecular unit. In the quest for molecular systems possessing an increased number of accessible nuclear spin states, we explore herein a dimeric Tb2-SMM via single-crystal µ-SQUID measurements at sub-Kelvin temperatures. We observe ferromagnetic interactions between the TbIII ions and cooperative quantum tunneling of the electronic spins with spin ground state | J z = ±6⟩. Strong hyperfine coupling with the TbIII nuclear spins leads to a multitude of spin-reversal paths, leading to seven strong hyperfine-driven tunneling steps in the hysteresis loops. Our results show the possibility of reading out the TbIII nuclear spin states via cooperative tunneling of the electronic spins, making the dimeric Tb2-SMM an excellent nuclear spin qu dit candidate with d = 16.

Slow Magnetic Relaxation in a Palladium-Gadolinium Complex Induced by Electron Density Donation from the Palladium Ion.

Incorporating palladium in the first coordination sphere of acetato-bridged lanthanoid complexes, [Pd2 Ln2 (H2 O)2 (AcO)10 ]⋅2 AcOH (Ln=Gd (1), Y (2), Gd0.4 Y1.6 (3), Eu (4)), led to significant bonding interactions between the palladium and the lanthanoid ions, which were demonstrated by experimental and theoretical methods. We found that electron density was donated from the d8 Pd2+ ion to Gd3+ ion in 1 and 3, leading to the observed slow magnetic relaxation by using local orbital locator (LOL) and X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) analysis. Field-induced dual slow magnetic relaxation was observed for 1 up to 20 K. Complex 3 and frozen aqueous and acetonitrile solutions of 1 showed only one relaxation peak, which confirms the role of intermolecular dipolar interactions in slowing the magnetic relaxation of 1. The slow magnetic relaxation occurred through a combination of Orbach and Direct processes with the highest pre-exponential factor (τo =0.06 s) reported so far for a gadolinium complex exhibiting slow magnetic relaxation. The results revealed that transition metal-lanthanoid (TM-Ln) axial interactions indeed could lead to new physical properties by affecting both the electronic and magnetic states of the compounds.

Comparison of the Magnetic Anisotropy and Spin Relaxation Phenomenon of Dinuclear Terbium(III) Phthalocyaninato Single-Molecule Magnets Using the Geometric Spin Arrangement.

Herein we report the synthesis and characterization of a dinuclear TbIII single-molecule magnet (SMM) with two [TbPc2]0 units connected via a fused-phthalocyaninato ligand. The stable and robust complex [(obPc)Tb(Fused-Pc)Tb(obPc)] (1) was characterized by using synchrotron radiation measurements and other spectroscopic techniques (ESI-MS, FT-IR, UV). The magnetic couplings between the TbIII ions and the two π radicals present in 1 were explored by means of density functional theory (DFT). Direct and alternating current magnetic susceptibility measurements were conducted on magnetically diluted and nondiluted samples of 1, indicating this compound to be an SMM with improved properties compared to those of the well-known [TbPc2]-/0/+ and the axially symmetric dinuclear TbIII phthalocyaninato triple-decker complex (Tb2(obPc)3). Assuming that the probability of quantum tunneling of the magnetization (QTM) occurring in one TbPc2 unit is PQTM, the probability of QTM simultaneously occurring in 1 is PQTM2, meaning that QTM is effectively suppressed. Furthermore, nondiluted samples of 1 underwent slow magnetic relaxation times (τ ≈ 1000 s at 0.1 K), and the blocking temperature (TB) was determined to be ca. 16 K with an energy barrier for spin reversal (Ueff) of 588 cm-1 (847 K) due to D4d geometry and weak inter- and intramolecular magnetic interactions as an exchange bias (Hbias), reducing QTM. Four hyperfine steps were observed by micro-SQUID measurement. Furthermore, solution NMR measurements (one-dimensional, two-dimensional, and dynamic) were done on 1, which led to the determination of the high rotation barrier (83 ± 10 kJ/mol) of the obPc ligand. A comparison with previously reported TbIII triple-decker compounds shows that ambient temperature NMR measurements can indicate improvements in the design of coordination environments for SMMs. A large Ueff causes strong uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in 1, leading to a χax value (1.39 × 10-30 m3) that is larger than that for Tb2(obPc)3 (0.86 × 10-30 m3). Controlling the coordination environment and spin arrangement is an effective technique for suppressing QTM in TbPc2-based SMMs.

Supramolecular Approach for Enhancing Single-Molecule Magnet Properties of Terbium(III)-Phthalocyaninato Double-Decker Complexes with Crown Moieties.

A TbIII -phthalocyaninato double-decker ([1]0 ) single-molecule magnet (SMM) having four 15-crown-5 moieties in one of the ligands was synthesized, and its dimerization and magnetic properties were studied in an attempt to utilize the supramolecular aggregation for enhancing the SMM properties. Aggregation of [1]0 to form [12 K4 ]4+ in the presence of K+ ions was studied by using UV/Vis-NIR absorption and NMR spectroscopies. For the magnetic measurements, [1]0 and [12 K4 ]4+ were dispersed in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). UV/Vis-NIR absorption measurements on the PMMA dispersed samples were used to track the formation of [12 K4 ]4+ . Direct current (DC) magnetic susceptibility measurements revealed that there were ferromagnetic Tb-Tb interactions in [12 K4 ]4+ , whereas there was no indication of ferromagnetic interactions in [1]0 . Upon the formation of [12 K4 ]4+ from [1]0 and K+ ions, the temperature at which the magnetic hysteresis occurred increased from 7 to 15 K. In addition, the area of magnetic hysteresis became larger for [12 K4 ]4+ , meaning that SMM properties of [12 K4 ]4+ are superior to those of [1]0 . Alternating current (AC) magnetic measurements were used to confirm this observation. Magnetic relaxation times at 2 K increased 1000-fold upon dimerization of [1]0 to [12 K4 ]4+ , demonstrating the effectiveness of using K+ ions to induce dimer formation for the improvement of the SMM properties.

Slow Magnetic Relaxation and Single-Molecule Toroidal Behaviour in a Family of Heptanuclear {CrIII LnIII6 } (Ln=Tb, Ho, Er) Complexes.

The synthesis, magnetic properties, and theoretical studies of three heterometallic {CrIII LnIII6 } (Ln=Tb, Ho, Er) complexes, each containing a metal topology consisting of two Ln3 triangles connected via a CrIII linker, are reported. The {CrTb6 } and {CrEr6 } analogues display slow relaxation of magnetization in a 3000 Oe static magnetic field. Single-crystal measurements reveal opening up of the hysteresis loop for {CrTb6 } and {CrHo6 } molecules at low temperatures. Ab initio calculations predict toroidal magnetic moments in the two Ln3 triangles, which are found to couple, stabilizing a con-rotating ferrotoroidal ground state in Tb and Ho examples and extend the possibility of observing toroidal behaviour in non DyIII complexes for the first time.

Transition Metal Single-Molecule Magnets: A {Mn31} Nanosized Cluster with a Large Energy Barrier of ∼60 K and Magnetic Hysteresis at ∼5 K.

The first {Mn31} cluster (1) has been prepared from carboxylate ions and the chelating/bridging ligand α-methyl-2-pyridine-methanol. Compound 1 possesses a unique nanosized structural topology with one of the largest energy barriers reported to-date for high-nuclearity 3d-metal clusters. Single-crystal magnetic hysteresis studies reveal the presence of hysteresis loops below 5 K, one of the highest temperatures below which molecular hysteresis has been observed for 3d-based SMMs.

Nuclear Spin Isomers: Engineering a Et4 N[DyPc2 ] Spin Qudit.

Two dysprosium isotopic isomers were synthesized: Et4 N[163 DyPc2 ] (1) with I=5/2 and Et4 N[164 DyPc2 ] (2) with I=0 (where Pc=phthalocyaninato). Both isotopologues are single-molecule magnets (SMMs); however, their relaxation times as well as their magnetic hystereses differ considerably. Quantum tunneling of the magnetization (QTM) at the energy level crossings is found for both systems via ac-susceptibility and µ-SQUID measurements. µ-SQUID studies of 1(I=5/2) reveal several nuclear-spin-driven QTM events; hence determination of the hyperfine coupling and the nuclear quadrupole splitting is possible. Compound 2(I=0) shows only strongly reduced QTM at zero magnetic field. 1(I=5/2) could be used as a multilevel nuclear spin qubit, namely qudit (d=6), for quantum information processing (QIP) schemes and provides an example of novel coordination-chemistry-discriminating nuclear spin isotopes. Our results show that the nuclear spin of the lanthanide must be included in the design principles of molecular qubits and SMMs.

Proton Control of the Lanthanoid Single-Ion Magnet Behavior of a Double-Decker Complex with an Indolenine-Substituted Annulene Ligand.

Two double-decker complexes with annulene ligands functionalized with indolenine groups were synthesized and characterized. The position of the proton acting as a counterion on one of the four indolenine nitrogen atoms was determined by using DFT calculations. Deprotonation and protonation of the complex induced by adding a base and an acid, respectively, were monitored by using NMR spectroscopy. Moreover, a correlation among the degree of protonation of the complex, the opening of the hysteresis, and the slow relaxation time is discussed.

NMR analysis of an Fe(i)-carbene complex with strong magnetic anisotropy.

A tricoordinated FeI complex with two cyclic-alkyl(amino) carbene (cAAC) and one chlorido ligand, (cAAC)2FeCl (1), is studied by means of 1H NMR spectroscopy and DFT calculations. Due to the cAAC ligands, which can take significant amounts of spin density from the metal center, and due to the magnetic anisotropy of the FeI ion (P. P. Samuel et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2014, 136, 11964-11971), compound 1 is a rare example of a paramagnetic d-block compound which is expected to have significant contributions from both contact and pseudocontact terms to the hyperfine NMR shift. Compound 1 is fluxional, which makes the analysis of its 1H NMR spectrum more difficult but allows a preliminary assignment from EXSY spectra. Then, a software-aided approach enabled a satisfactory signal assignment of all protons which are distanced from the FeI center and carbene cyclic core, and thereby the extraction of the axial and rhombic components of the magnetic susceptibility anisotropy tensor (Δχ). Components of Δχ enable the calculation of zero-field spitting D and E parameters from solution NMR measurements of 1, and these parameters are compared to previously reported experimental and theoretical values.