Hysteretic Spin Crossover with High Transition Temperatures in Two Cobalt(II) Complexes

Cooperative spin crossover transitions with thermal hysteresis loops are rarely observed in cobalt(II) complexes. Herein, two new mononuclear cobalt(II) complexes with hysteretic spin crossover at relatively high temperatures (from 320 to 400 K), namely, [Co(terpy-CH2OH)2]·X2 (terpy-CH2OH = 4'-(hydroxymethyl)-2,2';6',2″-terpyridine, X = SCN-(1) and SeCN- (2)), have been synthesized and characterized structurally and magnetically. Both compounds are mononuclear CoII complexes with two chelating terpy-CH2OH ligands. Magnetic measurements revealed the existence of the hysteretic SCO transitions for both complexes. For compound 1, a one-step transition with T1/2↑= 334.5 K was observed upon heating, while a two-step transition is observed upon cooling with T1/2↓(1) = 329.3 K and T1/2↓(2) = 324.1 K (at a temperature sweep rate of 5 K/min). As for compound 2, a hysteresis loop with a width of 5 K (T1/2↓ = 391.6 K and T1/2↑ = 396.6 K, at a sweep rate of 5 K/min) can be observed. Thanks to the absence of the crystallized lattice solvents, their single crystals are stable enough at high temperatures for the structure determination at both spin states, which reveals that the hysteretic SCO transitions in both complexes originate from the crystallographic phase transitions involving a thermally induced order-disorder transition of the dangling -CH2OH groups in the ligand. This work shows that the modification of the terpy ligand has an important effect on the magnetic properties of the resulting cobalt(II) complexes.

Spin transition triggered by desorption of crystal solvents for a two-dimensional cobalt(ii) complex with hydrogen bonding

[Co(5tpybNOH)₂](BPh₄)₂ (1; 5tpybNOH = 5,5''-bis(N-tert-butyl hydroxylamino)-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine) has a two-dimensional (2D) structure through a hydrogen bond between the NOH sites, as revealed by X-ray crystallography. The crystal solvents were desorbed above 300 K as shown by thermal analyses and powder X-ray crystallography. The removal of the crystal solvents allowed irreversible structural changes and a spin transition of the Co centre from S = 1/2 to 3/2.

Double-layered honeycomb architectures constructed via hierarchical self-assembly of hexagonal spin crossover cobalt(ii) metallacycles

Lipid packaged cobalt(ii) metallacycles displayed the formation of double-layered honeycomb architectures exhibiting spin crossover behavior.

Slow Magnetic Relaxation Triggered by a Structural Phase Transition in Long-Chain-Alkylated Cobalt(II) Single-Ion Magnets

The behavior of single-ion magnets (SIMs) that reflects large distortions of their coordination environments caused by the packing of long alkyl chains for two Co(II) complexes of the type [Co(C _n-terpy)₂](BF₄)₂ (C _n-terpy = 4'-alkoxy-2,2':6',2″-terpyridine; n = 10 (1), 16 (2)) is reported. 1·2MeOH, which features a highly distorted octahedral high-spin Co(II) center, exhibits field-induced slow magnetic relaxation under an applied dc field of 1000 Oe. Further detailed analysis of the relaxation process indicated the prevalence of the Raman process at low temperature. Surprisingly, 2 shows a reverse spin transition (rST) and also exhibits remarkable field-induced SIM behavior, revealing the presence of magnetic anisotropy for this high-spin Co(II) species that is triggered by a structural phase transition. We present here the first examples of the coexistence of field-induced slow magnetic relaxation and rST associated with structural phase transitions involving long-alkyl-chain conformational changes from gauche to anti. These results indicate the prospect of inducing SIM properties in other distorted high-spin Co(II) species bearing long alkyl chains.

Molecular Assemblies and Spin-Crossover Behaviour of Cobalt(ɪɪ) Complexes with Terpyridine Incorporating Different Nitrogen Positions in Pyridine Rings

Cobalt(ii) complexes with terpyridine-type ligands, [Co(n-pyterpy)2](ClO4)2 (n = 3 (1), 4 (2)), were prepared and characterised. Different positions of the nitrogen atom in the terpyridine ligands influenced their assembly properties in the crystal structures. Complex 1 showed a 2D network structure consisting of 1D chains connected by intermolecular N⋯HC interactions. On the other hand, complex 2 consisted of two different cobalt ion sites (Co1 and Co2) with slightly different coordination environments. Complex 2 showed 1D chains with no interchain interactions. Such differences are discussed with the cooperativities estimated by their spin crossover behaviours.