Pressure-induced hysteresis in the high spin \leftrightarrow low spin transition in bis(2,4-bis(pyridin-2-yl)thiazole) iron(II) tetrafluoroborate

Studies of the spin transition behavior of the mononuclear compound [Fe(pythiaz)2](BF4)2 have been carried out under hydrostatic pressures up to 9.13 kbar in the 5–300 K temperature range. Under ambient pressure this compound exhibits an approximately half-step (incomplete) HS ↔ LS transition with T1/2 = 146 K without any thermal hysteresis. At pressures up to 4.5 kbar the behavior remains similar but with an upward displacement of T1/2 and a slight decrease in the residual high spin fraction at low T . Application of higher pressures resulted in an almost complete two-step spin transition with several unusual pressure effects. Along with the expected pressure dependence of T1/2 the surprising appearance of hysteresis in the spin transition curves was observed. It is suggested that the likely origin of this unprecedented behavior is a pressure-induced structural change.