Synthesis, structure, and physical properties of new rare earth ferrocenoylacetonates.

New ferrocenoylacetonate complexes of several rare earth elements, [Ln(fca)3(bpy)]·MeC6H5 (Ln = Pr (), Eu (), Gd (), Tb (), Dy (), Ho (), Y (); bpy - 2,2'-bipyridine; Hfca - FcCOCH2COMe) as well as scandium ferrocenoylacetonate [Sc(fca)3]·0.5MeC6H5 (), were synthesized and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. In the crystal lattice of the isostructural complexes , two [Ln(fca)3(bpy)] molecules form a pair due to stacking interactions between the bpy ligands. The Ln(3+) ions are coordinated in a square antiprism geometry with a coordination number of 8. The Sc(3+) ions in complex are coordinated in an octahedral geometry. Thermolysis of complexes was studied under air and argon atmospheres; in the first case, it affords perovskites LnFeO3 as one of the products. Complexes display single-molecule magnet properties, and the effective relaxation barrier for the Dy complex , was found to be Δeff/kB = 241 K, which is one of the highest values obtained for a mononuclear β-diketonate lanthanide complex.