Single-molecule magnet achieved through topological tuning with sodium ions

Abstract

Manganese(II) acetate was reacted with indane-1,2,3-trione-1,2-dioxime (H₂L), producing three new Mn^III complexes containing a Mn^III₃O unit. Complex 1 is a zero-dimensional (0D) trinuclear manganese(III) cluster. Complexes 2 and 3 show different two-dimensional (2D) structures with their trinuclear manganese(III) units bridged through Na(I) ions. A study of the magnetic properties manifests that antiferromagnetic coupling is clearly dominant in complexes 1 and 2. In contrast, complex 3 is a single-molecule magnet with dominant ferromagnetic couplings between its metal ions. The Na(I) ions adjust the topologies of these complexes, which thus tunes the magnetic-related parameters such as the Mn–O–N–Mn dihedral angle and finally leads to the achievement of single-molecule magnets.