Strong Exchange Coupling in a Trimetallic Radical‐Bridged Cobalt(II)‐Hexaazatrinaphthylene Complex

Syntheses and magnetic properties of a bis-bidentate nitronyl nitroxide radical based on triazolopyrimidine and its metal complexes

A novel bis-bidentate nitronyl nitroxide radical based on triazolopyrimidine, NIT-2-TrzPm (NIT-2-TrzPm = (2-(2'-triazolopyrimidine)-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-1-oxy-3-oxide)) and six new transition metal complexes of this ligand, namely [M(hfac)₂(NIT-2-TrzPm)]·CH₂Cl₂ (M = Mn (1Mn) and Co (2Co)), [M(hfac)₂]₂(NIT-2-TrzPm) (M = Mn (3Mn) and Co (4Co)), [Mn(NIT-2-TrzPm)₂(MeOH)₂](ClO₄)₂·MeOH (5Mn), and [Co(NIT-2-TrzPm)₂(MeOH)₂]₂(ClO₄)₄·4MeOH (6Co) were prepared and characterized structurally and magnetically. These complexes can be selectively synthesized by controlling the reaction ratio of M(hfac)₂·2H₂O to the radical ligand (for 1Mn to 4Co) or using metal perchlorates as the starting materials (for 5Mn and 6Co). Single crystal X-ray crystallographic analyses confirmed that 1Mn and 2Co are isostructural 3d-2p M^II-radical complexes, in which the NIT-2-TrzPm radical acts as a terminal bidentate ligand chelating to one 3d ion, while 3Mn and 4Co are isostructural 3d-2p-3d M^II-radical-M^II complexes with the NIT-2-TrzPm radical acting as a bridging ligand between two 3d ions. For complexes 5Mn and 6Co, two NIT-2-TrzPm ligands from the equatorial positions coordinate with the metal center to form the 2p-3d-2p structures with the axial positions occupied by two methanol molecules. Magnetic analysis on the Mn^II complexes revealed the existence of a strong antiferromagnetic interaction between the Mn^II and the NIT radical spin, while weak ferromagnetic coupling for Mn⋯Mn and Rad⋯Rad in the Mn-NIT-Mn and Rad-Mn-Rad spins was confirmed. Interestingly, although the NIT-bridged complexes 3Mn and 4Co possess significantly different magnetic anisotropy, field-induced slow magnetic relaxation can be observed in both complexes, which was assigned to the phonon bottleneck effect for 3Mn and field-induced SMM behavior for 4Co. To the best of our knowledge, 3Mn is the first example of the NIT-bridged binuclear Mn^II complex undergoing slow magnetic relaxation.

Radical-Bridged Heterometallic Single-Molecule Magnets Incorporating Four Lanthanoceniums

The syntheses and magnetic properties of organometallic heterometallic compounds [K(THF)₆ ]{Co^I [(μ₃ -HAN)RE₂ Cp*₄ ]₂ } (1-RE) and [K(Crypt)]₂ {Co^I [(μ₃ -HAN)RE₂ Cp*₄ ]₂ } (2-RE) containing hexaazatrinaphthylene radicals (HAN⋅^3- ) and four rare earth (RE) ions are reported. 1-RE shows isolable species with ligand-based mixed valency as revealed by cyclic voltammetry (CV) thus leading to the isolation of 2-RE via one-electron chemical reduction. Strong electronic communication in mixed-valency supports stronger overall ferromagnetic behaviors in 2-RE than 1-RE containing Gd and Dy ions. Ac magnetic susceptibility data reveal 1-Dy and 2-Dy both exhibit slow magnetic relaxation. Importantly, larger coercive field was observed in the hysteresis of 2-Dy at 2.0 K, indicating the enhanced SMM behavior compared with 1-Dy. Ligand-based mixed-valency strategy has been used for the first time to improve the magnetic coupling in lanthanide (Ln) SMMs, thus opening up new ways to construct strongly coupled Ln-SMMs.

Syntheses, structures, and magnetic properties of the lanthanide complexes of imidazole-substituted nitronyl nitroxide biradicals

Two new bis-bidentate imidazole-substituted nitronyl nitroxide biradicals, BNITIm-C2 (BNITIm-C2 = 1,1'-(1,2-ethanediyl)bis(1H-imidazole-2-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-1-oxy-3-oxide)) and BNITIm-C4 (BNITIm-C4 = 1,1'-(1,4-butanediyl)bis(1H-imidazole-2-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-1-oxy-3-oxide)), and two series of lanthanide complexes, namely [(BNITIm-C2)Ln(NO₃)₃](MeOH) (Ln = Gd (1Gd) and Tb (2Tb)), (BNITIm-C2)Dy(NO₃)₃ (3Dy) and (BNITIm-C4)[Ln(hfac)₃]₂(C₇H₈)₂ (Ln = Gd (4Gd), Tb (5Tb) and Dy (6Dy), hfac = hexafluoroacetylacetonate), have been prepared and characterized structurally and magnetically. Single crystal X-ray crystallographic analyses revealed that complexes 1Gd-3Dy exhibit 1D chain structures where the Ln(NO₃)₃ units are bridged by the BNITIm-C2 bis-bidentate biradical, while complexes 4Gd-6Dy exhibit binuclear structures with two Ln(hfac)₃ units bridged by the BNITIm-C4 biradical. The bulky hfac anions prohibit the further coordination of Ln^III to another NIT ligand and the formation of a similar 1D chain structure. Due to the very long intra- and intermolecular distances of the spin centers, complexes 1Gd-3Dy can be magnetically regarded as an isolated 2p-4f-2p tri-spin system while complex 4Gd-6Dy can be regarded as an isolated 2p-4f bi-spin system. Magnetic analyses on the two Gd^III compounds revealed the ferromagnetic Gd^III-NIT interactions and antiferromagnetic NIT-NIT interactions through the Gd^III ion in 1Gd. Alternating-current (ac) magnetic susceptibility investigations revealed that complex 5Tb exhibits the typical SMM behavior under a zero dc field while complex 6Dy was proved to be a field-induced SMM. Ab initio calculations were performed on complexes 2Tb and 5Tb to understand their magnetic anisotropy together with their different magnetic dynamics.

Trinuclear coordination assemblies of low-spin dicyano manganese(II) (S = 1/2) and iron(II) (S = 0) phthalocyanines with manganese(II) acetylacetonate, tris(cyclopentadienyl)gadolinium(III) and neodymium(III)

The reaction of Mn^IIPc, Fe^IIPc or Fe^IIPcCl₁₆ with KCN in the presence of cryptand[2.2.2] yielded dicyano-complexes {cryptand(K⁺)}₂{M^II(CN)₂(macrocycle^2-)}^2-·XC₆H₄Cl₂ (M = Mn and Fe, X = 1 and 2) that were used for the preparation of trinuclear assemblies of the general formula {cryptand(K⁺)}₂{M^II(CN)₂Pc·(ML)₂}^2-·nC₆H₄Cl₂ (M^II = Mn^II and Fe^II; n = 1, 4 and 5). These assemblies were formed via coordination of two manganese(II) acetylacetonate (ML = Mn^II(acac)₂, S = 5/2), tris(cyclopentadienyl)gadolinium (ML = Cp₃Gd^III, S = 7/2) or tris(cyclopentadienyl)neodymium (ML = Cp₃Nd^III, S = 3/2) units to the nitrogen atoms of bidentate cyano ligands. The N(CN)-Mn{Mn^II(acac)₂} bond is 2.129(3) Å long but the bonds are elongated to 2.43-2.49 Å for tris(cyclopentadienyl)lanthanides. {Cryptand(K⁺)}₂{Mn^II(CN)₂Pc·(Mn^II(acac)₂)₂}^2-·5C₆H₄Cl₂ (2) contains three Mn(II) ions in different spin states (S = 5/2 and 1/2). Strong antiferromagnetic coupling of spins observed between them with the exchange interaction (J) of -17.6 cm^-1 enables the formation of a high S = 9/2 spin state for {Mn^II(CN)₂Pc·(Mn^II(acac)₂)₂}^2- dianions at 2 K. The estimated exchange interaction between Mn^II (S = 1/2) and Gd^III (S = 7/2) spins in {Mn^II(CN)₂Pc·(Cp₃Gd^III)₂}^2- is only -1.1 cm^-1, and in contrast to 2, nearly independent Gd^III and Mn^II centers are formed. As a result, no transition to the high-spin state is observed in {Mn^II(CN)₂Pc·(Cp₃Gd^III)₂}^2-. The {Mn^II(CN)₂Pc·(Cp₃Nd^III)₂}^2- and{Fe^II(CN)₂Pc·(Cp₃Nd^III)₂}^2- dianions with Cp₃Nd^III show a decrease of χ_MT values in the whole studied temperature range (300-1.9 K). A similar behaviour was found previously for pristine Cp₃Nd^III and Cp₃Nd^III·L complexes (L = alkylisocyanide ligand).

Weak Antiferromagnetic Exchange and Ferromagnetic Alignment of FeII (S=2) Spins in Differently Charged {HAT ⋅ (FeII Cl2 )3 }n (n=2- and 3-) Assemblies of Hexaazatriphenylenes (HAT)

Hexaazatrianthracene (HATA) and hexaazatriphenylenehexacarbonitrile {HAT(CN)₆ } are reduced by metallic iron in the presence of crystal violet (CV⁺ )(Cl^- ). Anionic ligands are produced, which simultaneously coordinate three Fe^II Cl₂ to form (CV⁺ )₂ {HATA ⋅ (Fe^II Cl₂ )₃ }^2-  ⋅ 3 C₆ H₄ Cl₂ (1) and (CV⁺ )₃ {HAT(CN)_6. (Fe^II Cl₂ )₃ }^3-  ⋅ 0.5CVCl ⋅ 2.5 C₆ H₄ Cl₂ (2). High-spin (S=2) Fe^II atoms in both structures are arranged in equilateral triangles at a distance of 7 Å. An antiferromagnetic exchange is observed between Fe^II in {HATA ⋅ (Fe^II Cl₂ )₃ }^2- (1) with a Weiss temperature (Θ) of -80 K, the PHI estimated exchange interaction (J) is -4.7 cm^-1 . The {HAT(CN)₆  ⋅ (Fe^II Cl₂ )₃ }^3- assembly is obtained in 2. The formation of HAT(CN)₆ ^.3- is supported by the appearance of an intense EPR signal with g=2.0037. The magnetic behavior of 2 is described by a strong antiferromagnetic coupling between the Fe^II and HAT(CN)₆ ^.3- spins with J₁ =-164 cm^-1 (-2 J formalism) and by a weaker antiferromagnetic coupling between the Fe^II spins with J₂ =-15.4 cm^-1 . The stronger coupling results in the spins of the three Fe^II Cl₂ units to be aligned parallel to each other in the assembly. As a result, an increase of the χ_M T values is observed with the decrease of temperature from 9.82 at 300 K up to 15.06 emu ⋅ K/mol at 6 K, and the Weiss temperature is also positive being at +23 K. Thus, a change in the charge and spin state of the HAT-type ligand to ⋅3^- results in ferromagnetic alignment of the Fe^II spins, yielding a high-spin (S=11/2) system. DFT calculations showed that, due to the high symmetry and nearly degenerated LUMO of both HATA and HAT(CN)₆ , their complexes with Fe^II Cl₂ have a variety of closely lying excited high-spin states with multiplicity up to S=15/2.

Isolation of the elusive bisbenzimidazole Bbim3−˙ radical anion and its employment in a metal complex

The discovery of singular organic radical ligands is a formidable challenge due to high reactivity arising from the unpaired electron. Matching radical ligands with metal ions to engender magnetic coupling is crucial for eliciting preeminent physical properties such as conductivity and magnetism that are crucial for future technologies. The metal-radical approach is especially important for the lanthanide ions exhibiting deeply buried 4f-orbitals. The radicals must possess a high spin density on the donor atoms to promote strong coupling. Combining diamagnetic ⁸⁹Y (I = 1/2) with organic radicals allows for invaluable insight into the electronic structure and spin-density distribution. This approach is hitherto underutilized, possibly owing to the challenging synthesis and purification of such molecules. Herein, evidence of an unprecedented bisbenzimidazole radical anion (Bbim³⁻˙) along with its metalation in the form of an yttrium complex, [K(crypt-222)][(Cp*₂Y)₂(μ-Bbim˙)] is provided. Access of Bbim³⁻˙ was feasible through double-coordination to the Lewis acidic metal ion and subsequent one-electron reduction, which is remarkable as Bbim²⁻ was explicitly stated to be redox-inactive in closed-shell complexes. Two molecules containing Bbim²⁻ (1) and Bbim³⁻˙ (2), respectively, were thoroughly investigated by X-ray crystallography, NMR and UV/Vis spectroscopy. Electrochemical studies unfolded a quasi-reversible feature and emphasize the role of the metal centre for the Bbim redox-activity as neither the free ligand nor the Bbim²⁻ complex led to analogous CV results. Excitingly, a strong delocalization of the electron density through the Bbim³⁻˙ ligand was revealed via temperature-dependent EPR spectroscopy and confirmed through DFT calculations and magnetometry, rendering Bbim³⁻˙ an ideal candidate for single-molecule magnet design.

The long sought-after bisbenzimidazole radical was isolated through complexation to two rare earth metallocenes followed by reduction, and analysed through crystallography, VT EPR spectroscopy, electrochemistry, magnetometry, and DFT computations.

Redox Ladder of Ni3 Complexes with Closed-Shell, Mono-, and Diradical Triphenylene Units: Molecular Models for Conductive 2D MOFs

We report the isolation and characterization of a series of trinickel complexes with 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexaoxytriphenylene (HOTP), [(Me₃ TPANi)₃ (HOTP)](BF₄ )_n (Me₃ TPA=N,N,N-tris[(6-methyl-2-pyridyl)methyl]amine) (n=2, 3, 4 for complexes 1, 2, 3). These complexes comprise a redox ladder whereby the HOTP core displays increasingly quinoidal character as its formal oxidation state changes from -4, to -3, and -2 in 1, 2, and 3, respectively. No formal oxidation state changes occur on Ni, allowing the isolation of singlet diradical, monoradical, and closed-shell configurations for HOTP in 1, 2, and 3, respectively, with a concomitant decrease in the spin coupling strength upon oxidation. Because the three complexes can be considered models of the smallest building blocks of 2D conductive metal-organic frameworks such as Ni₉ HOTP₄ , these results serve as possible inspiration for the construction of extended materials with targeted electric and magnetic properties.

Solid-State Properties of Hexaazatriphenylenehexacarbonitrile HAT(CN)6 .- Radical Anions in Crystalline Salts Containing Cryptand(M+ ) and Crystal Violet Cations

Crystalline {Cryptand[2.2.2](Na⁺ )}{HAT(CN)₆ ^.- }⋅0.5C₆ H₄ Cl₂ (1), {Cryptand[2.2.2](K⁺ )}{HAT(CN)₆ ^.- } (2), (CV⁺ ){HAT(CN)₆ ^.- } (3), and (CV⁺ ){HAT(CN)₆ ^.- }⋅2C₆ H₄ Cl₂ (4) salts (where CV⁺ is the crystal violet cation) containing hexaazatriphenylenehexacarbonitrile radical anions have been obtained. The solid-state molecular structure as well as the optical and magnetic properties of HAT(CN)₆ ^.- are studied. The formation of HAT(CN)₆ ^.- in 1-4 leads to the appearance of new bands in the visible range, at 694 and 740 nm. The HAT(CN)₆ ^.- radical anions have spin state S=1/2 and are packed in one-dimensional stacks containing the {HAT(CN)₆ ^.- }₂ dimers alternated with weaker interacting pairs of HAT(CN)₆ ^.- in 1 and nearly isolated {HAT(CN)₆ ^.- }₂ dimers in 2. The {HAT(CN)₆ ^.- }₂ dimers are diamagnetic in 1 but they effectively mediate one-dimensional antiferromagnetic coupling of spins within the stacks with moderate exchange interaction of J/k_B = -80 K. The behaviour of salt 2 is described by a singlet-triplet model for the {HAT(CN)₆ ^.- }₂ dimers with an energy gap of 434(±7) K. Magnetic behaviour of both salts agree well with the data of extended Hückel calculations. Salts 3 and 4 contain isolated stacks of alternated HAT(CN)₆ ^.- and CV⁺ ions, and in this case, nearly paramagnetic behaviour is observed with Weiss temperatures of -1 and -7 K, respectively. Narrow Lorentzian EPR signals with g = 2.0033-2.0039 were found for the HAT(CN)₆ ^.- radical anions in 1 and 4 but in solution g-factor shifts to 1.9964. The electronic structure of HAT(CN)₆ ^.- is analysed based on X-ray diffraction data for 2, showing a Jahn-Teller distortion of the radical anion that reduces the symmetry from D_3h to C_s and splits the initially degenerated LUMOs.

Electronic Transitions in Different Redox States of Trinuclear 5,6,11,12,17,18-Hexaazatrinaphthylene-Bridged Titanium Complexes: Spectroelectrochemistry and Quantum Chemistry

Multinuclear transition metal complexes bridged by ligands with extended π-electronic systems show a variety of complex electronic transitions and electron transfer reactions. While a systematic understanding of the photochemistry and electrochemistry has been attained for binuclear complexes, much less is known about trinuclear complexes such as hexaphenyl-5,6,11,12,17,18-hexaazatrinaphthylene-tristitanocene [(Cp2 Ti)3 HATN(Ph)6 ]. The voltammogram of [(Cp2 Ti)3 HATN(Ph)6 ] shows six oxidation and three reduction waves. Solution spectra of [(Cp2 Ti)3 HATN(Ph)6 ] and of the electrochemically formed oxidation products show electronic transitions in the UV, visible and the NIR ranges. Density functional theory (DFT) and linear response time-dependent DFT show that the three formally titanium(II) centers transfer an electron to the HATN ligand in the ground state. The optically excited transitions occur exclusively between ligand-centered orbitals. The charged titanium centers only provide an electrostatic frame to the extended π-electronic system. Complete active self-consistent field (CASSCF) calculation on a structurally simplified model compound, which considers the multi-reference character imposed by the three titanium centers, can provide an interpretation of the experimentally observed temperature-dependent magnetic behavior of the different redox states of the title compound in full consistency with the interpretation of the electronic spectra.

Designing Multicoordinating Nitronyl Nitroxide Radical Toward Multinuclear Lanthanide Aggregates

Profiting from a multicoordinating nitronyl nitroxide radical, i.e. a functionalized nitronyl nitroxide biradical ligand, a family of novel tetranuclear lanthanide complexes, formulated as [RE₄(hfac)₁₂(NITPhO-3Pybis)₂] (RE = Gd 1, Tb 2, Dy 3, Ho 4, and Y 5; NITPhO-3Pybis = 5-(3-pyridinyloxy)-1,3-bis(1'-oxyl-3'-oxido-4',4',5',5'-tetramethyl-4,5-hydro-1H-imidazol-2-yl)benzene; hfac = hexafluoroacetylacetonate) were successfully constructed and characterized. In these complexes, the designed functionalized nitronyl nitroxide biradical ligand functions as the chelating and/or bridging ligand to bind the lanthanide ions, resulting in tetranuclear octa-spin lanthanide complexes with a circle-shaped arrangement. Direct-current magnetic data show that antiferromagnetic interaction dominates in the Gd derivative, while ferromagnetic coupling plays a leading role in complex Y, in which the relevant magnetic exchange parameters were obtained through applicable magnetic models. Dynamic magnetic studies of Tb and Dy analogues exhibit apparent frequency-dependent out-of-phase signals, which are typical features for slow magnetic relaxation behavior. The values of U_eff and τ₀ were obtained as follows: U_eff = 10.5 K and τ₀ = 6.6 × 10^-7 s for the Tb complex and U_eff = 5.2 K and τ₀ = 2.5 × 10^-6 s for the Dy compound. Intriguingly, the butterfly shaped hysteresis loop is found for the Tb analogue. Guided by fluorescence spectra, the representative peaks are identified for the Tb derivative.

Slow magnetic relaxation in CoII–LnIII heterodinuclear complexes achieved through a functionalized nitronyl nitroxide biradical

Five nitronyl nitroxide biradical-Co^II–Ln^III heterodinuclear complexes were achieved and the DyCo derivative displayed visible temperature/frequency-dependent χ′′ peaks, indicating the SMM behavior.

A Redox-Active Bridging Ligand to Promote Spin Delocalization, High-Spin Complexes, and Magnetic Multi-Switchability

A dinuclear Co^II complex, [Co₂ (tphz)(tpy)₂ ]ⁿ⁺ (n=4, 3 or 2; tphz: tetrapyridophenazine; tpy: terpyridine), has been assembled using the redox-active and strongly complexing tphz bridging ligand. The magnetic properties of this complex can be tuned from spin-crossover with T_1/2 ≈470 K for the pristine compound (n=4) to single-molecule magnet with an S_T =5/2 spin ground state when once reduced (n=3) to finally a diamagnetic species when twice reduced (n=2). The two successive and reversible reductions are concomitant with an increase of the spin delocalization within the complex, promoting remarkably large magnetic exchange couplings and high-spin species even at room temperature.

Probing Magnetic-Exchange Coupling in Supramolecular Squares Based on Reducible Tetrazine-Derived Ligands

Reducible 3,6-bis(3,5-dimethyl-pyrazolyl)1,2,4,5-tetrazine was employed to isolate supramolecular air-stable [Co₄ ] and [Zn₄ ] squares, which were achieved via careful selection of counterions rather than the use of reducing agents. Magnetic susceptibility studies revealed a strong radical-Co^II exchange coupling (J_rad-Co /hc=-118 cm^-1 , -2J formalism) with a spin ground state of S_T =4, whereas the unreduced analogue revealed negligible coupling between the Co centers (J_Co-Co /hc=-0.64 cm^-1 ). Radical-radical coupling was also probed in the [Zn₄ ] congener, which led to J_rad-rad /hc=-15.9(5) cm^-1 . These results highlight the versatile air-stable coordination chemistry of tetrazine and the importance of exploiting easily reducible delocalized radical to promote strong exchange coupling between spin carriers.