Synthesis, structure, and magnetic properties of a [Mn22] wheel-like single-molecule magnet.

The synthesis and magnetic properties of the compound [Mn(22)O(6)(OMe)(14)(O(2)CMe)(16)(tmp)(8)(HIm)(2)] 1 are reported. Complex 1 was prepared by treatment of [Mn(3)O(MeCO(2))(6)(HIm)(3)](MeCO(2)) (HIm = imidazole) with 1,1,1-tris(hydroxymethyl)propane (H(3)tmp) in MeOH. Complex 1.2MeOH crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pbca. The molecule consists of a metallic core of 2 Mn(IV), 18 Mn(III), and 2 Mn(II) ions linked by a combination of 6 micro(3)-bridging O(2)(-) ions, 14 micro(3)- and micro(2)-bridging MeO(-) ions, 16 micro-MeCO(2)(-) ligands, and 8 tmp(3)(-) ligands, which use their alkoxide arms to bridge in a variety of ways. The metal-oxygen core is best described as a wheel made from [Mn(3)O(4)] partial cubes and [Mn(3)O] triangles. Variable-temperature direct current (dc) magnetic susceptibility data were collected for complex 1 in the 1.8-300 K temperature range in a 1 T applied field. The chi(M)T value steadily decreases from 56 cm(3) K mol(-)(1) at 300 K to 48.3 cm(3) K mol(-)(1) at 30 K and then increases slightly to reach a maximum value of 48.6 cm(3) K mol(-)(1) at 15 K before dropping rapidly to 40.3 cm(3) K mol(-)(1) at 5 K. The ground-state spin of complex 1 was established by magnetization measurements in the 0.1-2.0 T and 1.80-4.00 K ranges. Fitting of the data by a matrix-diagonalization method to a model that assumes only the ground state is populated and incorporating only axial zero-field splitting (DS(z)()(2)), gave a best fit of S = 10, g = 1.96 and D = -0.10 cm(-)(1). The ac magnetization measurements performed on complex 1 in the 1.8-8 K range in a 3.5 G ac field oscillating at 50-1000 Hz showed frequency-dependent ac susceptibility signals below 3 K. Single-crystal hysteresis loop and relaxation measurements indicate loops whose coercivities are strongly temperature and time dependent, increasing with decreasing temperature and increasing field sweep rate, as expected for the superparamagnetic-like behavior of a single-molecule magnet, with a blocking temperature (T(B)) of approximately 1.3 K.