2D Layer Arrangement of Solely [HS-HS] or [LS-LS] Molecules in the [HS-LS] State of a Dinuclear Fe(II) Spin Crossover Complex

Abstract

Herein we report the synthesis and characterization of three new dinuclear iron(II) complexes [FeII2(I4MTD)2](F3CSO3)4 (C1), [FeII2(I4MTD)2](ClO4)4 (C2) and [FeII2(I4MTD)2](BF4)4 (C3) based on the novel ligand (I4MTD = 2,5-bis{[(1H-imidazol-4-ylmethyl)amino]methyl}-1,3,4-thiadiazole). Magnetic susceptibility measurements and single-crystal structure analysis show that the iron(II) spin centers for all complexes are in the high spin state at high temperatures. While the magnetic data of air-dried samples confirm the [HS-HS] state for C1 and C2 down to very low temperature, for C3, a gradual spin crossover is observed below 150 K. The crystal structure of C3·THF at 100 K shows that a spin transition from [HS-HS] to an intermediate state takes place, which is a 1:1 mixture of discrete [HS-HS] and [LS-LS] molecules, as identified unambiguously by crystallography. The different SCO properties of C1–C3 can be attributed to crystal packing effects in the solid state.