Addressing Through-H Magnetic Interactions: A Comprehensive ab Initio Analysis of This Efficient Coupler

Mechanism of Magnetostructural Transitions in Copper-Nitroxide-Based Switchable Molecular Magnets: Insights from ab Initio Quantum Chemistry Calculations

The gradual magnetostructural transition in breathing crystals based on copper(II) and pyrazolyl-substituted nitronyl nitroxides has been analyzed by means of DDCI quantum chemistry calculations. The magnetic coupling constants (J) within the spin triads of Cu(hfac)2L(Bu)·0.5C8H18 have been evaluated for the X-ray structures reported at different temperatures. The coupling is strongly antiferromagnetic at low temperature and becomes ferromagnetic when the temperature increases. The intercluster magnetic coupling (J') is antiferromagnetic and shows a marked dependence on temperature. The magnetostructural transition can be reproduced using the calculated J values for each structure in the simulation of the magnetic susceptibility. However, the μ(T) curve can be improved nicely by considering the coexistence of two phases in the transition region, whose ratio varies with temperature corresponding to both the weakly and strongly coupled spin states. These results complement a recent VT-FTIR study on the parent Cu(hfac)2L(Pr) compound with a gradual magnetostructural transition.

A rational reduction of CI expansions: combining localized molecular orbitals and selected charge excitations

Based on localized molecular orbitals, the proposed method reduces large configuration interaction (CI) spaces while maintaining agreement with reference values. Our strategy concentrates the numerical effort on physically pertinent CI-contributions and is to be considered as a tool to tackle large systems including numerous open-shells. To show the efficiency of our method we consider two 4-electron parent systems. First, we illustrate our approach by describing the van der Waals interactions in the (H2)2 system. By systematically including local correlation, dispersion and charge transfer mechanisms, we show that 90% of the reference full CI dissociation energy of the H2 dimer is reproduced using only 3% of the full CI space. Second, the conformational cis/trans rotation barrier of the butadiene molecule is remarkably reproduced (97% of the reference value) with less than 1% of the reference space. This work paves the way to numerical strategies which afford the electronic structure determination of large open-shell systems avoiding the exponential limitation. At the same time, a physical analysis of the contents of the wave function is offered.

Towards a better understanding of magnetic exchange mediated by hydrogen bonds in Mn(iii)/Fe(iii) salen-type supramolecular dimers

Detailed investigations of the magnetic coupling and magnetic anisotropy in a series of Schiff base salen-type Fe(iii) and Mn(iii) complexes, based on SQUID experiments and DFT calculations, are reported.

Structural, spectroscopic and magnetic properties of a novel copper(ii)l-tyrosinato complex

Anl-tyrosinato copper(ii) ion complex of formula [Cu(l-Tyr)₂(H₂O)]·H₂O (1) (l-Tyr =l-tyrosine) was characterized by X-ray and spectroscopic (FT-IR, FT-Raman, NIR-vis-UV, and EPR) and magnetic methods.

Cis-trans isomeric and polymorphic effects on the magnetic properties of water-bridged copper coordination chains

The synthesis and magnetic characterization of vanillin-based Cu(II) mononuclear complexes of formula [Cu(van)(2)(H(2)O)(2)](H(2)O)(x) (van = vanillinate; x = 0, compound 1; x = 2, compounds 2 and 3) were performed. Despite the presence of very similar [Cu(van)(2)(H(2)O)(2)] moieties, the crystal structures exhibit distinct Cu···Cu contacts and display three different through-H-bond exchange-coupling pathways. As a result of the relative positions of the water molecules, the experimental (MAGSUS) exchange-coupling constants are dissimilar, i.e., J(1) = -3.0 cm(-1) (the data have been fitted to the Bleaney-Bowers equation considering a dimer; 2J = -6.0 cm(-1)), J(2) = -4.0 cm(-1) (the data have been fitted to the Bonner-Fischer equation for a chain of monomeric copper(II) units), whereas compound 3 is paramagnetic. Subsequently, the theoretical density functional theory (DFT) and wave function theory-based (DDCI) calculations were carried out to better understand the role of the water molecule as a mediator of the magnetic coupling. The use of localized orbitals allows one to elucidate the role of the H-bonds in generating exchange interactions. Since the exchange-coupling constants are strongly dependent on the mechanisms selectively introduced, the role of the H-bond is demonstrated.

Coexistence of intramolecular ligand-mediated and through hydrogen-bond magnetic interactions in a chain of dicopper(II) units

The reaction of 2,8-dimethyl-5,11-bis(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)-1,4,5,6,7,10,11,12-octahydroimidazo[4,5-h]imidazo[4,5-c][1,6]-diazecine (dimp) with copper(II) nitrate in water produces the compound [Cu(2)(dimp)(H(2)O)(2)(NO(3))(2)](NO(3))(2). The single-crystal X-ray structure shows the formation of hydrogen-bonded chains in the lattice that are formed by dicopper(II) units doubly connected by nitrate/water bridges. Within the one-dimensional chains, the Cu ions are separated by either intramolecular or intermolecular distances of 7.309(2) Å or 6.255(2) Å, respectively. The magnetic susceptibility data revealing weak antiferromagnetic exchange interactions between the copper(II) ions were interpreted by considering two possible models, namely, an isolated dinuclear and a 1-D chain picture. The latter leads to an alternation J(1) = -11.6 and J(2) = -3.0 cm(-1) along the chain. In order to clarify the relative strengths of the exchange couplings through hydrogen bonds and via the bridging dimp ligand, solution EPR studies and quantum chemical calculations were carried out. EPR studies unambiguously conclude on the existence of an exchange interaction J(a) mediated by the dinucleating dimp ligand, while the through-H coupling J(b) is physically absent in solution. On the basis of dinuclear units extracted from the X-ray data, J(a) was estimated around -5.0 cm(-1) from DFT-based calculations (M06 functional), whereas J(b) is negligible. In contrast, wave function configuration interaction calculations (DDCI) support a description where both inter- and intramolecular pathways coexist with a preeminent role of H bonds with J(a) = -2.8 and J(b) = -10.4 cm(-1). Not only are these values very consistent with the extracted set of parameters (J(1), J(2) = -11.6, -3.0 cm(-1)) but the possibility to generate leading exchange coupling through weak bonds is evidenced by means of wave function-based calculations.