Magnetic Anisotropy in Pentacoordinate NiII and CoII Complexes: Unraveling Electronic and Geometrical Contributions.

The magnetic properties of the pentacoordinate [MII (Me4 cyclam)N3 ]+ (Me4 cyclam=tetramethylcyclam; N3 =azido; M=Ni, Co) complexes were investigated. Magnetization and EPR studies indicate that they have an easy plane of magnetization with axial anisotropy parameters D close to 22 and greater than 30 cm-1 for the Ni and Co complexes, respectively. Ab initio calculations reproduced the experimental values of the zero-field splitting parameters and allowed the orientation of the anisotropy tensor axes with respect to the molecular frame to be determined. For M=Ni, the principal anisotropy axis lies along the Ni-Nazido direction perpendicular to the Ni(Me4 cyclam) mean plane, whereas for M=Co it lies in the Co(Me4 cyclam) mean plane and thus perpendicular to the Co-Nazido direction. These orientations match one of the possible solutions experimentally provided by single-crystal cantilever torque magnetometry. To rationalize the geometry and its impact on the orientation of the anisotropy tensor axis, calculations were carried out on model complexes [NiII (NCH)5 ]2+ and [CoII (NCH)5 ]2+ by varying the geometry between square pyramidal and trigonal bipyramidal. The geometry of the complexes was found to be the result of a compromise between the electronic configuration of the metal ion and the structure-orienting effect of the Me4 cyclam macrocycle. Moreover, the orientation of the anisotropy axes is mainly dependent on the geometry of the complexes.