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The actinide elements are attractive alternatives to transition metals or lanthanides for the design of exchange-coupled multinuclear single-molecule magnets. However, the synthesis of such compounds is challenging, as is unraveling any contributions from exchange coupling to the overall magnetism. To date, only a few actinide compounds have been shown to exhibit exchange coupling and single-molecule magnetism. Here, we report triangular uranium(III) clusters of the type (CpiPr5)3U3X (1-X; X = Cl, Br, I; CpiPr5 = pentaisopropylcyclopentadienyl), which are synthesized via reaction of the aryloxide-bridged precursor (CpiPr5)2U2(OPhtBu)4 with excess Me3SiX. Spectroscopic analysis suggests the presence of covalency in the uranium-halide interactions arising from 5f orbital participation in bonding. The dc magnetic susceptibility data reveal the presence of antiferromagnetic exchange coupling between the uranium(III) centers in these compounds, with the strength of the exchange decreasing down the halide series. Ac magnetic susceptibility data further reveal all compounds to exhibit slow magnetic relaxation under zero dc field. In 1-I, which exhibits particularly weak exchange, magnetic relaxation occurs via a Raman mechanism associated with the individual uranium(III) centers. In contrast, for 1-Br and 1-Cl, magnetic relaxation occurs via an Orbach mechanism, likely involving relaxation between ground and excited exchange-coupled states. Significantly, in the case of 1-Cl, magnetic relaxation is sufficiently slow such that open magnetic hysteresis is observed up to 2.75 K, and the compound exhibits a 100-s blocking temperature of 2.4 K. This compound provides the first example of magnetic blocking in a compound containing only actinide-based ions, as well as the first example involving the uranium(III) oxidation state.

Mixed-valence dilanthanide complexes of the type (CpiPr5)2Ln2I3 (CpiPr5 = pentaisopropylcyclopentadienyl; Ln = Gd, Tb, Dy) featuring a direct Ln-Ln σ-bonding interaction have been shown to exhibit well-isolated high-spin ground states and, in the case of the Tb and Dy variants, a strong axial magnetic anisotropy that gives rise to a large magnetic coercivity. Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of two new mixed-valence dilanthanide compounds in this series, (CpiPr5)2Ln2I3 (1-Ln; Ln = Ho, Er). Both compounds feature a Ln-Ln bonding interaction, the first such interaction in any molecular compounds of Ho or Er. Like the Tb and Dy congeners, both complexes exhibit high-spin ground states arising from strong spin-spin coupling between the lanthanide 4f electrons and a single σ-type lanthanide-lanthanide bonding electron. Beyond these similarities, however, the magnetic properties of the two compounds diverge. In particular, 1-Er does not exhibit observable magnetic blocking or slow magnetic relaxation, while 1-Ho exhibits magnetic blocking below 28 K, which is the highest temperature among Ho-based single-molecule magnets, and a spin reversal barrier of 556(4) cm-1. Additionally, variable-field magnetization data collected for 1-Ho reveal a coercive field of greater than 32 T below 8 K, more than 6-fold higher than observed for the bulk magnets SmCo5 and Nd2Fe14B, and the highest coercive field reported to date for any single-molecule magnet or molecule-based magnetic material. Multiconfigurational calculations, supported by far-infrared magnetospectroscopy data, reveal that the stark differences in magnetic properties of 1-Ho and 1-Er arise from differences in the local magnetic anisotropy of the lanthanide centers.

The recent discovery of metal-metal bonding and valence delocalization in the dilanthanide complexes (CpiPr5)2Ln2I3 (CpiPr5 = pentaisopropylcyclopentadienyl; Ln = Y, Gd, Tb, Dy) opened up the prospect of harnessing the 4fn5dz21 electron configurations of non-traditional divalent lanthanide ions to access molecules with novel bonding motifs and magnetism. Here, we report the trinuclear mixed-valence clusters (CpiPr5)3Ln3H3I2 (1-Ln, Ln = Y, Gd), which were synthesized via potassium graphite reduction of the trivalent clusters (CpiPr5)3Ln3H3I3. Structural, computational, and spectroscopic analyses support valence delocalization in 1-Ln resulting from a three-center, one-electron σ bond formed from the 4dz2 and 5dz2 orbitals on Y and Gd, respectively. Dc magnetic susceptibility data obtained for 1-Gd reveal that valence delocalization engenders strong parallel alignment of the σ-bonding electron and the 4f electrons of each gadolinium center to afford a high-spin ground state of S = 11. Notably, this represents the first clear instance of metal-metal bonding in a molecular trilanthanide complex, and the large spin-spin exchange constant of J = 168(1) cm-1 determined for 1-Gd is only the second largest coupling constant characterized to date for a molecular lanthanide compound.

A series of dysprosium(iii) metallocenium salts, [Dy(CpiPr4R)2][B(C6F5)4] (R = H (1), Me (2), Et (3), iPr (4)), was synthesized by reaction of DyI3 with the corresponding known NaCpiPr4R (R = H, iPr) and novel NaCpiPr4R (R = Me, Et) salts at high temperature, followed by iodide abstraction with [H(SiEt3)2][B(C6F5)4]. Variation of the substituents in this series results in substantial changes in molecular structure, with more sterically-encumbering cyclopentadienyl ligands promoting longer Dy-C distances and larger Cp-Dy-Cp angles. Dc and ac magnetic susceptibility data reveal that these structural changes have a considerable impact on the magnetic relaxation behavior and operating temperature of each compound. In particular, the magnetic relaxation barrier increases as the Dy-C distance decreases and the Cp-Dy-Cp angle increases. An overall 45 K increase in the magnetic blocking temperature is observed across the series, with compounds 2-4 exhibiting the highest 100 s blocking temperatures yet reported for a single-molecule magnet. Compound 2 possesses the highest operating temperature of the series with a 100 s blocking temperature of 62 K. Concomitant increases in the effective relaxation barrier and the maximum magnetic hysteresis temperature are observed, with 2 displaying a barrier of 1468 cm-1 and open magnetic hysteresis as high as 72 K at a sweep rate of 3.1 mT s-1. Magneto-structural correlations are discussed with the goal of guiding the synthesis of future high operating temperature DyIII metallocenium single-molecule magnets.

A series of dysprosium(iii) metallocenium salts, [Dy(CpiPr4R)2][B(C6F5)4] (R = H (1), Me (2), Et (3), iPr (4)), was synthesized by reaction of DyI3 with the corresponding known NaCpiPr4R (R = H, iPr) and novel NaCpiPr4R (R = Me, Et) salts at high temperature, followed by iodide abstraction with [H(SiEt3)2][B(C6F5)4]. Variation of the substituents in this series results in substantial changes in molecular structure, with more sterically-encumbering cyclopentadienyl ligands promoting longer Dy-C distances and larger Cp-Dy-Cp angles. Dc and ac magnetic susceptibility data reveal that these structural changes have a considerable impact on the magnetic relaxation behavior and operating temperature of each compound. In particular, the magnetic relaxation barrier increases as the Dy-C distance decreases and the Cp-Dy-Cp angle increases. An overall 45 K increase in the magnetic blocking temperature is observed across the series, with compounds 2-4 exhibiting the highest 100 s blocking temperatures yet reported for a single-molecule magnet. Compound 2 possesses the highest operating temperature of the series with a 100 s blocking temperature of 62 K. Concomitant increases in the effective relaxation barrier and the maximum magnetic hysteresis temperature are observed, with 2 displaying a barrier of 1468 cm-1 and open magnetic hysteresis as high as 72 K at a sweep rate of 3.1 mT s-1. Magneto-structural correlations are discussed with the goal of guiding the synthesis of future high operating temperature DyIII metallocenium single-molecule magnets.

The partially fluorinated oxo-alkoxide tungsten(VI) complexes WO(OR)4 [4; R = C(CH3)2CF3, 5; R = C(CH3)(CF3)2] have been synthesized as precursors for chemical vapour deposition (CVD) of WOx nanocrystalline material. Complexes 4 and 5 were prepared by salt metathesis between sodium salts of the fluoroalkoxides and WOCl4. Crystallographic structure analysis allows comparison of the bonding in 4 and 5 as the fluorine content of the fluoroalkoxide ligands is varied. Screening of 5 as a CVD precursor by mass spectrometry and thermogravimetric analysis was followed by deposition of WOx nanorods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]