Linear 3d-4f compounds: synthesis, structure, and determination of the d-f magnetic interaction.

A family of [RE2M2L2(BA)6] (RE = Gd, Tb, Dy, Y; M = Co, Ni, Cu, Zn; L = 1,2-bis(2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)hydrazine; BA = benzoic acid) complexes were synthesized and structurally and magnetically characterized. The magnetic interactions between spin centers were systematically investigated. The interactions of M-M (M = Co, Ni and Cu) and Gd-Ni/Cu were extracted from the fitting of the experimental data of Y2M2 (M = Co, Ni and Cu) and Gd2M2 (M = Ni and Cu) derivatives, respectively. Furthermore, the Ln-M interactions were qualitatively analyzed by deducting the M-M coupling and the contribution of the crystal-field effects of the Ln(III) ion from the total magnetic susceptibility of Ln2M2 (Ln = Dy and Tb) compounds. In addition, complex [Dy2Zn2L2(BA)6] shows field induced single molecular magnet behavior profiting from the isolated anisotropic dysprosium ions.