Heterospin mixed-ligand heterotrinuclear CoII, GdIII, CoII complex with nitronyl nitroxide

A method was developed for the synthesis of mixed-metal heterospin compounds with the direct coordination of the nitroxide fragment based on the replacement of acetonitrile molecules in the heterotrinuclear complex [Co2Gd(NO3)Piv6(CH3CN)2] with nitroxide molecules. The molecular and crystal structure of the heterospin mixed-ligand heterotrinuclear CoII, GdIII, CoII complex [Co2Gd(NO3)Piv6(NIT-Me)2], where NIT-Me is stable nitronyl nitroxide, was established. The magnetic properties of this complex were investigated in the temperature range of 2–300 K. The coordination of nitroxide groups to CoII ions is responsible for strong exchange interactions between the unpaired electrons in the exchange clusters {>-·O-CoII}, resulting in the virtually complete spin coupling between each coordinated >N-·O group and one of the unpaired electrons of each CoII ion at temperatures below 200 K.