A Mixed Valence CoIICoIII2 Field-Supported Single Molecule Magnet: Solvent-Dependent Structural Variation

One-pot reaction of the Schiff base N,N'-ethylene bis(salicylaldimine) (H2L), CoCl2.6H2O, and [Ph2SnCl2] in acetone produces the mixed valence CoIICoIII2 compound [CoIICoIII2(μ-L)2(Ph)2(μ-Cl)2]·(CH3)2CO·H2O (1). Our recent study already revealed that the same reaction mixtures in methanol or ethanol produced a heterometallic SnIVCoIII (2) or monometallic CoIII complex (3), respectively. Comparison of these organometallic systems shows that the 2,1-intermetallic Ph shift occurs in any of those solvents, but their relevant structural features (mononuclear, dinuclear-heterometallic, and trinuclear mixed valence) are solvent dependent. Geometrical structural rotation is also discussed among the related organometallic CoIICoIII2 systems. The AC magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate that 1 is a single molecule magnet (SMM), exhibiting a field-induced slow magnetic relaxation with two modes. The relaxation time for the low-frequency channel is as slow as τ~0.6 s at T = 2.0 K and BDC = 1.0 T.