Toward Verdazyl Radical-Based Materials: Ab Initio Inspection of Potential Organic Candidates for Spin-Crossover Phenomenon

Modifications of Tanabe-Sugano d6 Diagram Induced by Radical Ligand Field: Ab Initio Inspection of a Fe(II)-Verdazyl Molecular Complex

Quantum entanglement between the spin states of a metal center and radical ligands is suggested in an iron(II) [Fe(dipyvd)₂]²⁺ compound (dipyvd = 1-isopropyl-3,5-dipyridil-6-oxoverdazyl). Wave function ab initio (Difference Dedicated Configuration Interaction, DDCI) inspections were carried out to stress the versatility of local spin states. We named this phenomenon excited state spinmerism, in reference to our previous work (see Roseiro et al., ChemPhysChem 2022, e202200478) where we introduced the concept of spinmerism as an extension of mesomerism to spin degrees of freedom. The construction of localized molecular orbitals allows for a reading of the wave functions and projections onto the local spin states. The low-energy spectrum is well-depicted by a Heisenberg picture. A 60 cm^-1 ferromagnetic interaction is calculated between the radical ligands with the S_total = 0 and 1 states largely dominated by a local low-spin S_Fe = 0. In contrast, the higher-lying S_total = 2 states are superpositions of the local S_Fe = 1 (17%, 62%) and S_Fe = 2 (72%, 21%) spin states. Such mixing extends the traditional picture of a high-field d⁶ Tanabe-Sugano diagram. Even in the absence of spin-orbit coupling, the avoided crossing between different local spin states is triggered by the field generated by radical ligands. This puzzling scenario emerges from versatile local spin states in compounds which extend the traditional views in molecular magnetism.

Investigation by Chemical Substitution within 2p-3d-4f Clusters of the Cobalt(II) Role in the Magnetic Behavior of [vdCoLn]2 (vd = Verdazyl Radical)

1,5-Dimethyl-3-(3'-(hydroxymethyl)-2'-pyridine)-6-oxotetrazane (H₃vdpyCH₂OH) or its oxidized verdazyl form (vdpyCH₂OH) reacted with transition metal and/or lanthanide acetates to yield [(vdpyCH₂O)₂Co₂Ln₂(acO)₈] (Ln = Y(III): I_Co,Y; Gd(III): I_Co,Gd), [(vdpyCH₂O)₂M₃(acO)₄] (M = Zn(II): II_Zn; Co(II): II_Co) and [(vdpyCH₂OH)Zn(acO)₂] (III_Zn) through self-assembly implying a complex-as-ligand intermediate. Single-crystal diffraction reveals that I_MT,Ln are composed of 2p-3d-4f centrosymmetric clusters with verdazyl radicals at the two ends coordinated to the transition-metal ion in a tridentate mode and to the {Ln₂(acO)₄} lanthanide central core in a monodentate mode through its alkoxo moiety. In I_Co,Gd, the transition-metal ions adopt an irregular octahedral environment, and the {Ln₂(acO)₄} core adopts a paddlewheel motif, whereas in I_Co,Y, the transition metal is pentacoordinated, and the central core contains only two acetate bridges. Going from I_Co,Y to II_Co, the central {Y₂(acO)₄} core is replaced by an axially compressed octahedral cobalt(II) center, whereas the outer parts of the molecule remain still. The dc magnetic studies revealed that the alternate π-stacking of the verdazyl radicals in II_Zn led to the formation of alternate antiferromagnetically coupled 1D chains with J_vd-vd = -8.2(1) cm^-1 and J_vd-vd' = -7.6(1) cm^-1 (-2J convention). In I_Co,Y, a complex fitting procedure allowed us to retrieve a complete set of magnetic parameters to take into account both the magnetic anisotropy of the cobalt(II) centers and intra- and inter-molecular exchange effects. For I_Co,Y, it led to g_Co = 2.13(4), D_Co = 100(2) cm^-1, E_Co = 19.9(5) cm^-1, J_Co-vd = +26.5(4) cm^-1, and J_vd-vd = -7.95(4) cm^-1. ac magnetic susceptibility of I_Co,Y, I_Co,Gd and II_Co did not reveal any slow relaxation of the magnetization even when a dc external magnetic field up to 2000 Oe was applied.

Electronic structure and magnetic coupling in selenium substituted pyridine-bridged bisdithiazolyl multifunctional molecular materials

Bisdithiazolyl radicals have furnished in recent years multiple examples of molecular materials with promising conductive and magnetic properties. The electronic band structure and magnetic ordering in four different isostructural pyridine-bridged bisdithiazolyl and Selenium substituted compounds have been studied by means of hybrid DFT based methods as implemented in the CRYSTAL code. The full rationalization of the properties of these multifunctional magnetic molecular materials requires a careful description of their complex open-shell electronic structure. The results describe the systems as narrow band (0.2-0.3 eV dispersion) open-shell semiconductors with a gap of 1.15-1.40 eV between the valence and conducting bands. The bands defining the insulating gap are dominated by orbital contributions arising from the heteroatoms sitting in the outer rings. A low energy closed-shell metallic solution is found at 0.25-0.35 eV above the magnetic solutions thus suggesting a complex mechanism for electric conduction with band and hopping contributions. The observed trend of the conductivity is in line with the variation of the insulating gap but more rigorous modelling is required to take into account the details of the band structure of the systems. For all the systems the spin density is well localised on the molecular units and is independent of the magnetic solution. Thus the system can be described as an ensemble of well-defined S = 1/2 magnetic centres using a two-body Heisenberg-Dirac-van Vleck spin Hamiltonian. The lowest energy electronic solutions are in line with the observed magnetic behaviour at low temperature. The set of competing magnetic exchange interactions that emerges from using a suitable mapping to consistently describe the low energy magnetic solutions explains the variety of magnetic responses (absence of long-range magnetic order, antiferromagnetism or ferromagnetism) of the four studied compounds at low temperatures.

Rational magnetic modification of N,N-dioxidized pyrazine ring expanded adenine and thymine: a diradical character induced by base pairing and double protonation

Rational modification of biomolecules especially DNA base pairs for the theoretical design of molecular magnets has attracted extensive interest. In this work, we report a modification strategy for adenine/thymine-based magnets through introducing a N,N-dioxidized pyrazine ring to either adenine or thymine to form ring-expanded bases (noA/noT) based on their experimentally synthesized derivatives. Further functionalization is conducted by double protonation and pairing with a normal complementary base (nohA-T/nohT-A), respectively. The diversity of protonation sites in noA generates totally six nohA-Ts, together with nohT-A forming seven two-step modified topic base pairs. DFT calculations are performed to characterize the magnetic properties and the diradical character, which indicate three diamagnetic (DM) nohA-Ts and three antiferromagnetic (AFM) nohA-Ts with extremely large magnetic coupling constants J ranging from -1279.7 to -2807.4 cm-1, while a relatively mild AFM nohT-A with a J of -194.6 cm-1. The electron separation effect induced by attraction of positive charges originating from protonation is proposed to explain the diradicalization, which is different from the traditional radical-coupler-radical coupling mode. In addition, atomic natural charges and spin densities, and H-bond and molecular orbital analyses are further discussed for verification and deep understanding of the observed unique phenomena. It should be noted that our designed seven topic base pairs have excellent characters including a good synthetic basis, a large scope of the |J| values, and the AFM-DM magnetic conversion or AFM strength modulation controlled by protonation/deprotonation, prototropic tautomerization, base pairing/dissociation, single proton transfer, and even the applied electric field. All these indicate the promising applications in the field of magnetic information storage or switch control. This work highlights the magnetic modification schemes and possible modulation methods of double positive charge doped DNA base pairs by utilizing their potential spin coupling modes.

Ferro- or antiferromagnetism? Heisenberg chains in the crystal structures of verdazyl radicals

In this study, we address the question of the origin of ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic interactions in alkynyl-substituted 1,5-diphenyl-6-oxo verdazyl radicals. While a TMS-alkynyl derivative (3) shows antiferromagnetic ordering at low temperatures, the corresponding deprotected alkynyl verdazyl (4) shows ferromagnetic interactions. For both compounds, magnetic Heisenberg chains are characteristic, which were studied systematically by means of X-ray crystallography and quantum chemical calculations. Ferromagnetic interactions are rarely found in such radicals. Therefore, uncovering such structure-property relationships is of crucial importance in order to understand and design promising ferromagnetic networks. Using this knowledge, we were able to design and crystallize diyne derivatives showing comparable solid state characteristics and therefore antiferro- and ferromagnetic Heisenberg chain structures. We show that the understanding of such property-structure relationships is adequate for the design of organic-magnetic materials with defined cooperative effects within the class of verdazyl radicals.

Verdazyls as Possible Building Blocks for Multifunctional Molecular Materials: A Case Study on 1,5-Diphenyl-3-(p-iodophenyl)-verdazyl Focusing on Magnetism, Electron Transfer and the Applicability of the Sonogashira-Hagihara Reaction

This work explores the use of Kuhn verdazyl radicals as building blocks in multifunctional molecular materials in an exemplary study, focusing on the magnetic and the electron transfer (ET) characteristics, but also addressing the question whether chemical modification by cross-coupling is possible. The ET in solution is studied spectroscopically, whereas solid state measurements afford information about the magnetic susceptibility or the conductivity of the given samples. The observed results are rationalized based on the chemical structures of the molecules, which have been obtained by X-ray crystallography. The crystallographically observed molecular structures as well as the interpretation based on the spectroscopic and physical measurements are backed up by DFT calculations. The measurements indicate that only weak, antiferromagnetic (AF) coupling is observed in Kuhn verdazyls owed to the low tendency to form face-to-face stacks, but also that steric reasons alone are not sufficient to explain this behavior. Furthermore, it is also demonstrated that ET reactions proceed rapidly in verdazyl/verdazylium redox couples and that Kuhn verdazyls are suited as donor molecules in ET reactions.

Electronic Structure and Magnetic Interactions in the Radical Salt [BEDT-TTF]2[CuCl4]

The magnetic behavior and electric properties of the hybrid radical salt [BEDT-TTF]₂[CuCl₄] have been revisited through extended experimental analyses and DDCI and periodic DFT plane waves calculations. Single crystal X-ray diffraction data have been collected at different temperatures, discovering a phase transition occurring in the 250-300 K range. The calculations indicate the presence of intradimer, interdimer, and organic-inorganic π-d interactions in the crystal, a magnetic pattern much more complex than the Bleaney-Bowers model initially assigned to this material. Although this simple model was good enough to reproduce the magnetic susceptibility data, our calculations demonstrate that the actual magnetic structure is significantly more intricate, with alternating antiferromagnetic 1D chains of the organic BEDT-TTF⁺ radical, connected through weak antiferromagnetic interactions with the CuCl₄^2- ions. Combination of experiment and theory allowed us to unambiguously determine and quantify the leading magnetic interactions in the system. The density-of-states curves confirm the semiconductor nature of the system and the dominant organic contribution of the valence and conduction band edges. This general and combined approach appears to be fundamental in order to properly understand the magnetic structure of these complex materials, where experimental data can actually be fitted from a variety of models and parameters.

Pairing-up viologen cations and dications: a microscopic investigation of van der Waals interactions

Polarizability and simultaneous environment effects overcome Coulomb repulsions.

The magnetic fingerprint of dithiazolyl-based molecule magnets

The ferromagnetic fingerprint of dithiazolyl-based molecule materials is uncovered. Interestingly geometrical rather than electronic structure factors play the leading role.

Flexible Viologen Cyclophanes: Odd/Even Effects on Intramolecular Interactions

The ability of three bis-viologen cyclophanes to act as redox-triggered contractile switches is investigated. Odd/even effects in the formation of cyclic bis-viologens are circumvented by the use of a Zincke salt intermediate and a tetrathiafulvalene template to prepare a flexible cyclophane with hexyl linkers. Comparative spectro-electrochemical studies of this macrocycle with two other pentyl- or heptyl-linked cyclic bis-viologens show that the development of intramolecular interactions in aqueous solution depends on the length of the bridges. This dependence is confirmed by EPR and DFT studies of the magnetic coupling in the diradical dication species. The anti-ferromagnetic or ferromagnetic nature of the coupling depend, respectively, on the odd or even number of methylene groups in the spacer.

Spreading out spin density in polyphenalenyl radicals

Properly-designed monoradicals built from polycondensed phenalene units can enforce flattening of spin distributions.

Black-box determination of temperature-dependent susceptibilities for crystalline organic radicals with complex magnetic topologies

In all but the simplest crystal structures, the identification of all relevant interactions between magnetic sites as well as the setup of magnetic model spaces, which are necessary for modeling macroscopic magnetism, are tedious and error-prone tasks. Here, we present a procedure to generate magnetic susceptibility versus temperature curves using only a crystal structure as input. The procedure, which is based on the first-principles bottom-up approach [Deumal et al., J. Phys. Chem. A, 2002, 106, 1299], is designed in a way to require as little user interference as possible. We employ quantum chemical calculations to parametrize a Heisenberg Hamiltonian, which is set up and diagonalized for different magnetic model spaces to ensure convergence of the model. We apply the procedure to several 6-oxo-verdazyl radical structures, including newly synthesized compounds, and compare the results to data we obtained from magnetic susceptibility measurements as well as published data to further benchmark our procedure. Furthermore, the different impact of certain dominating coupling constants is systematically analyzed.

Dynamical effects on the magnetic properties of dithiazolyl bistable materials

The magnetic properties of molecule-based magnets are commonly rationalized by considering only a single nuclear configuration of the system under study (usually an X-ray crystal structure). Here, by means of a computational study, we compare the results obtained using such a static approach with those obtained by explicitly accounting for thermal fluctuations, and uncover the serious limitations of the static perspective when dealing with magnetic crystals whose radicals undergo wide-amplitude motions. As a proof of concept, these limitations are illustrated for the magnetically bistable 1,3,5-trithia-2,4,6-triazapentalenyl (TTTA) material. For its high-temperature phase at 300 K, we show that nuclear dynamics induce large fluctuations in the magnetic exchange interactions (JAB) between spins (up to 1000% of the average value). These deviations result in a ∼20% difference between the 300 K magnetic susceptibility computed by explicitly considering the nuclear dynamics and that computed using the X-ray structure, the former being in better agreement with the experimental data. The unveiled strong coupling between JAB interactions and intermolecular vibrations reveals that considering JAB as a constant value at a given temperature (as always done in molecular magnetism) leads to a flawed description of the magnetism of TTTA. Instead, the physically relevant concept in this case is the statistical distribution of JAB values. The discovery that a single X-ray structure is not adequate enough to interpret the magnetic properties of TTTA is also expected to be decisive in other organic magnets with dominant exchange interactions propagating through labile π-π networks.

Transition metal complexes and radical anion salts of 1,10-phenanthroline derivatives annulated with a 1,2,5-tiadiazole and 1,2,5-tiadiazole 1,1-dioxide moiety: multidimensional crystal structures and various magnetic properties

Advances in the molecular variety and the elucidation of the physical properties of 1,10-phenanthroline annulated with 1,2,5-thiadiazole and 1,2,5-thiadiazole 1,1-dioxide moieties have been achieved, and are described herein. A 1,2,5-thiadiazole compound, [1,2,5]thiadiazolo[3,4-f][1,10]phenanthroline (tdap), was used as a ligand to create multidimensional network structures based on S•••S and S•••N intermolecular interactions. A 1,2,5-thiadiazole 1,1-dioxide compound, [1,2,5] thiadiazolo[3,4-f][1,10]phenanthroline, 1,1-dioxide (tdapO₂), was designed to create a stable radical anion, as well as good network structures. Single crystal X-ray structure analyses revealed that transition metal complexes of tdap, and radical anion salts of tdapO₂ formed multidimensional network structures, as expected. Two kinds of tdap iron complexes, namely [Fe(tdap)₂(NCS)₂] and [Fe(tdap)₂(NCS)₂]•MeCN exhibited spin crossover transitions, and their transition temperatures showed a difference of 150 K, despite their similar molecular structures. Magnetic measurements for the tdapO₂ radical anion salts revealed that the magnetic coupling constants between neighboring radical species vary from strongly antiferromagnetic (J = −320 K) to ferromagnetic (J = 24 K), reflecting the differences in their π overlap motifs.

Switching magnetic interactions in the NiFe Prussian Blue Analogue: an ab initio inspection

Wave function embedded cluster calculations are performed to stress a cation-coupled electron transfer process in the NiFe Prussian Blue Analogue.

Ferromagnetic intermolecular exchange interaction in ethynyl-verdazyl radical crystals

The newly synthesized p-ethynylphenyl-oxoverdazyl radical shows unusual slipped 1D chains held together by π–π interactions leading to ferromagnetic exchange interactions.

In Search of Organic Compounds Presenting a Double Exchange Phenomenon

The objective of this paper is to design a consistent series of organic molecules that may present a double exchange mechanism and study their low energy spectrum using spin unrestricted Density Functional Theory. For this purpose, organic tetra-methylene methane units having an S = 1 spin ground state and diamagnetic organic bridges are taken as building blocks for constructing molecules having two or more magnetic units. When biunit systems are ionized, the ground state of the resulting molecular ions may be either a quartet, if the spectrum is ruled by a double exchange mechanism, or a doublet, if it obeys the logic of a monoelectronic picture. A strategy based on the physical analysis of the leading interactions is followed in order to energetically favor a high-spin ground state. It is shown that the most promising compounds involve bridges that have both a large gap between the highest occupied and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals and small coefficients on the atoms to which the magnetic units are connected. While the followed strategy enables one to conceive organic compounds exhibiting a double exchange phenomenon, it is shown that the electronic mechanism ruling the spectrum of such organic double exchange compounds is different from that of their inorganic homologues. A new method to reconstruct the spectrum of low energy from various spin unrestricted DFT solutions is proposed and applied. Finally monodimensional and bidimensional periodic lattices based on the most promising organic architecture are suggested.

Hysteretic spin crossover between a bisdithiazolyl radical and its hypervalent σ-dimer

The bisdithiazolyl radical 1a is dimorphic, existing in two distinct molecular and crystal modifications. The α-phase crystallizes in the tetragonal space group P4̅2(1)m and consists of π-stacked radicals, tightly clustered about 4̅ points and running parallel to c. The β-phase belongs to the monoclinic space group P2(1)/c and, at ambient temperature and pressure, is composed of π-stacked dimers in which the radicals are linked laterally by hypervalent four-center six-electron S···S-S···S σ-bonds. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility χ measurements confirm that α-1a behaves as a Curie-Weiss paramagnet; the low-temperature variations in χ can be modeled in terms of a 1D Heisenberg chain of weakly coupled AFM S = (1)/(2) centers. The dimeric phase β-1a is essentially diamagnetic up to 380 K. Above this temperature there is a sharp hysteretic (T↑= 380 K, T↓ = 375 K) increase in χ and χT. Powder X-ray diffraction analysis of β-1a at 393 K has established that the phase transition corresponds to a dimer-to-radical conversion in which the hypervalent S···S-S···S σ-bond is cleaved. Variable-temperature and -pressure conductivity measurements indicate that α-1a behaves as a Mott insulator, but the ambient-temperature conductivity σ(RT) increases from near 10(-7) S cm(-1) at 0.5 GPa to near 10(-4) S cm(-1) at 5 GPa. The value of σ(RT) for β-1a (near 10(-4) S cm(-1) at 0.5 GPa) initially decreases with pressure as the phase change takes place, but beyond 1.5 GPa this trend reverses, and σ(RT) increases in a manner which parallels the behavior of α-1a. These changes in conductivity of β-1a are interpreted in terms of a pressure-induced dimer-to-radical phase change. High-pressure, ambient-temperature powder diffraction analysis of β-1a confirms such a transition between 0.65 and 0.98 GPa and establishes that the structural change involves rupture of the dimer in a manner akin to that observed at high temperature and ambient pressure. The response of the S···S-S···S σ-bond in β-1a to heat and pressure is compared to that of related dimers possessing S···Se-Se···S σ-bonds.