Dephasing relaxation of the electron spin echo of the vibronic Cu(H(2)O)(6) complexes in Tutton salt crystals at low temperatures.

Two-pulse electron spin echo (ESE) measurements of the phase relaxation (phase memory time T(M)) were performed in a series of Tutton salt crystals M(I)(2)M(II)(SO(4))(2).6X(2)O (M(I)=NH(4), K, Cs; M(II)=Zn, Mg; X=H, D) weakly doped with Cu(2+) ions (c approximately equal to 10(18) ions/cm(3)) in temperature range 4-60 K where ESE signals were detectable. The ESE decay was strongly modulated with proton (or deuteron) frequencies and described by the decay function V(2tau)=V(0)exp(-btau-mtau(2)) with the mtau(2) term being temperature independent and negligible above 20 K. Various mechanisms leading to the tau- or tau(2)-type ESE decay are reviewed. The m and b coefficients for nuclear spectral diffusion (NSD), electron spectral diffusion (SD), and instantaneous diffusion (ID) were calculated in terms of existing theories and the resulting rigid lattice T(0)(M) times were found to be close one to another within the crystal family with average values: 17.5 micros (NSD protons), 200 micros (NSD deuterons), 8 micros (SD), and 5 micros (ID). The ID dominates but the calculated effective T(M)(0) is longer than the experimental T(M)(0)=2 micros. This is due to a nonuniform distribution of the Cu(2+) ions with a various degree of the disorder in the studied crystals. The acceleration of the dephasing rate 1/T(M) with temperature is due to the mechanisms producing exp(-btau) decay. They are reviewed and two of them were found to be operative in Tutton salt crystals: (a) Excitations to the vibronic levels of energy Delta leading to the temperature dependence 1/T(M)=B exp(-Delta/kT), with the vibronic levels produced by strong Jahn-Teller effect, and (b) spin-lattice relaxation processes being effective above 50 K. Based on the Delta values being on the order of 100 cm(-1), the scheme of vibronic levels in the Tutton salts is presented, and the independence of the Delta on temperature proves that the adiabatic potential surface shape of Jahn-Teller active Cu(H(2)O)(6) complexes is not affected by temperature below 65 K.

Electron spin relaxation in pseudo-Jahn-Teller low-symmetry Cu(II) complexes in diaqua(L-aspartate)Zn(II).H(2)O crystals.

Low-temperature (4-55 K) pulsed EPR measurements were performed with the magnetic field directed along the z-axis of the g-factor of the low-symmetry octahedral complex [(63)Cu(L-aspartate)(2)(H2O)2] undergoing dynamic Jahn-Teller effect in diaqua(L-aspartate)Zn(II) hydrate single crystals. Spin-lattice relaxation time T(1) and phase memory time T(M) were determined by the electron spin echo (ESE) method. The relaxation rate 1/T(1) increases strongly over 5 decades in the temperature range 4-55 K. Various processes and mechanisms of T(1)-relaxation are discussed, and it is shown that the relaxation is governed mainly by Raman relaxation processes with the Debye temperature Theta(D)=204 K, with a detectable contribution from disorder in the doped Cu(2+) ions system below 12 K. An analytical approximation of the transport integral I(8) is given in temperature range T=0.025-10Theta(D) and applied for computer fitting procedures. Since the Jahn-Teller distorted configurations differ strongly in energy (delta(12)=240 cm(-1)), there is no influence of the classical vibronic dynamics mechanism on T(1). Dephasing of the ESE (phase relaxation) is governed by instantaneous diffusion and spectral diffusion below 20 K with resulting rigid lattice value 1/T(0)(M)=1.88 MHz. Above this temperature the relaxation rate 1/T(M) increases upon heating due to two mechanisms. The first is the phonon-controlled excitation to the first excited vibronic level of energy Delta=243 cm(-1), with subsequent tunneling to the neighbor potential well. This vibronic-type dynamics also produces a temperature-dependent broadening of lines in the ESEEM spectra. The second mechanism is produced by the spin-lattice relaxation. The increase in T(M) is described in terms of the spin packets forming inhomogeneously broadened EPR lines.

Flexibility of CuCl4-tetrahedra in bis[cinchoninium tetrachlorocuprate(II)]trihydrate single crystals. X-ray diffraction and EPR studies.

Crystal structure of bis[cinchoninium tetrachlorocuprate(II)] trihydrate, [(C19H24N2O)CuCl4]2-3H2O, has been determined by X-ray diffraction at 100 K and reexamined at 293 K. The compound crystallizes in orthorhombic system with a P2(1)2(1)2(1) space group and unit cell parameters a = 15.3031(14), b = 36.415(3), and c = 7.8341(5) A at 100 K, and Z = 4. The asymmetric unit consists of two (CuCl4)(2-) tetrahedral anions linked by hydrogen bonds to two doubly protonated cinchonine molecules and three water molecules. The tetrahedra are strongly flattened, to approximately D(2d) symmetry, with different deformation for two inequivalent (CuCl4)(2-) -ions in the asymmetric unit. The deformation of (CuCl4)(2-) and cinchoninium cations varies with temperature due to a rearrangement of the bifurcated hydrogen bond network. This is a continuous process observed as a monotonic variation of the EPR spectral parameters and the unit cell dimensions. EPR spectra show that very weak exchange coupling J(12) = 0.0030 cm(-1) operates between Cu(2+) ions within asymmetric units, corresponding to the general formula of the compound, as well as between equivalent Cu(2+) sites of different molecules, whereas the coupling is negligible between inequivalent sites. The intermolecular J(12) coupling is temperature-independent indicating that the whole asymmetric unit behaves as a magnetic unit (pseudodimer) in the whole temperature range.

Anisotropic Exchange Effects in Temperature and Pressure Dependences of EPR Zero-Field Splitting in [(C(6)H(5))(3)(n-propyl)P](2)Cu(2)Cl(6).

X-band single-crystal and powder EPR data were collected in the temperature range 4.2-300 K and under hydrostatic pressure up to 500 MPa for [(C(6)H(5))(3)(n-propyl)P](2)Cu(2)Cl(6) (C(42)H(44)P(2)Cu(2)Cl(6)). The crystal and molecular structure have been determined from X-ray diffraction. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/n (Z = 2) and have unit cell dimensions of a = 9.556(5) Å, b= 17.113(3) Å, c = 13.523(7) Å, and beta = 96.10(4) degrees. The structure consists of two controsymmetric Cu(2)Cl(6)(2)(-) dimers well separated by complex anions. EPR spectra are typical for the triplet S = 1 state of Cu(2)Cl(6)(2)(-) dimer with parameters g(x)() = 2.114(8), g(y)() = 2.095(8), g(z)() = 2.300(8), and D(x)() = 0.025(1) cm(-)(1), D(y)() = 0.057(1) cm(-)(1), and D(z)() = -0.082(1) cm(-)(1) at room temperature. The D tensor is dominated by a contribution from anisotropic exchange but the dipole-dipole Cu-Cu coupling is not much less. The anisotropic exchange integrals were estimated to be as follows: J(xy,x)()()2(-)(y)()()2(an) = -45 cm(-)(1), J(xy,xy)()(an) = +17 cm(-)(1), J(xy,yz)()(an) = +62 cm(-)(1). The D tensor components are strongly temperature dependent and linearly increase on cooling with an anomalous nonlinear behavior below 100 K. The D values increase linearly with pressure, but the effect is much smaller than the temperature effect. This suggests that the D vs T dependence is dynamical in origin. EPR data, a possible mechanism, and contributions to the observed dependences are discussed and compared to EPR results for similar compounds.

Electron paramagnetic resonance analysis of heavy metals in the aging human brain.

Electron paramagnetic studies of heavy metals were performed with the use of a Radiopan spectrometer on autopsy material of 5 aged patients (mean age 80.2 years) and 15 control patients (mean age 29 years). The obtained results lead to the following conclusions: 1. The aging brain is characterized by a tendency to decrease in concentration of isolated Cu2+ ions, and a marked decrease in concentration of Fe3+ ions as well as of free radicals, whereas the concentration of Cu2+ clusters is significantly increased. 2. The cases showing both arteriosclerotic and senile degenerative changes are characterized by higher concentrations of Cu2+ clusters than the brains with dominance of the arteriosclerotic process, whereas the concentrations of isolated Cu2+ and Fe3+ ions as well as that of free radicals do not differ between the two subgroups. 3. The diminished concentrations of Cu2+ and Fe3+ ions and free radicals observed in brains of old persons and concomitant with increased concentration of multi-ion aggregates (clusters), more marked in cases of senile atrophy of Alzheimer type, seem to result from some slow-down of metabolic processes in the aging brain.