A new family of Mn6 SMMs using phosphinate ligands

Abstract

A new family of hexametallic [Mn^III₆] Single-Molecule Magnets with general formula [Mn₆O₂(R-sao)₆(X)₂(MeOH)_4-6] (R = H, Me, Et or Ph; X = O₂PHPh or O₂P(Ph)₂) have been synthesised and characterised. The molecules are new members of the [Mn₆] family of SMMs in which the carboxylate ligands have been replaced with phenyl- and diphenylphosphinate. The magnetic cores remain largely unaltered meaning that structural distortions of the Mn–N–O–Mn torsion angles in the [Mn₃O] subunits can be used to tune the magnetic properties, switching pairwise exchange interactions from antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic. The results suggest that the Mn₆ building block, be it ferro- or antiferromagnetically coupled, could be an important building block for the formation of novel, functional 0-3D materials.