The complex (2,3-dmpyH)2CuBr4 has been synthesized and its crystal packing determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (2,3-dmpyH = 2,3-dimethylpyridinium). The compound crystallizes in the triclinic space group P1. The crystal packing is characterized by the formation of a ladder structure for the CuBr4 anions showing short Br...Br contacts. The rungs of the ladder are formed via a crystallographic inversion center, while the rails are formed via unit cell translations. Variable temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements agree very well with the ladder model [Jrung = -3.10 cm-1 (-4.34 K) and Jrail = -6.02 cm-1 (-8.42 K)]. The assignment as a magnetic ladder is confirmed by first principles bottom-up theoretical calculations which conclude that Jrung = -3.49 cm-1 (-4.89 K) and Jrail = -7.79 cm-1 (-10.9 K), in very good agreement with the experimental values. They also support the absence of additional significant magnetic exchange within the crystals. Thus, (2,3-dmpyH)2CuBr4 represents the second reported example of a weak-exchange limit magnetic ladder (that is, one in which the exchange along the rail is stronger than that across the rung).

The mechanism of the magnetic interaction in the pyridyl-verdazyl radical:hydroquinone (pyvd:hq) molecular co-crystal is important as it has been suggested to originate by a unique "mediated through-space" magnetic interaction. This interaction was proposed to magnetically connect two nonadjacent pyridyl-verdazyl radicals within a pi stack, where adjacent radicals pile up in a head-over-tail orientation. The connection is made through a third radical sitting between the previous two mediated radicals. Given the relevance of this proposal, we decided to reinvestigate the magnetic properties of this co-crystal by using our recently proposed first-principles "bottom-up" procedure. Based on B3LYP/6-31+G(d) and CASSCF(6,6)/6-31+G(d) calculations (the results of which are identical to those provided by CASSCF(10,10)/6-31+G(d) calculations), we have computed the microscopic J(AB) values for all direct through-space magnetic interactions between nearby pyridyl-verdazyl radicals. The magnetic interactions give rise to two dominant values of similar strength: -56 and -54 cm(-1) at the B3LYP level, which are calculated as -38 and -31 cm(-1) at the CASSCF(6,6) and CAS(10,10) levels (all other interactions being smaller than |1| cm(-1)). The dominant interactions correspond to the direct through-space interaction between two adjacent radicals of a pi stack. The crystal also exhibits a radical-mediated through-space interaction of -0.31 cm(-1) between two nonadjacent radicals of a pi stack. The direct through-space magnetic interactions are two orders of magnitude larger than the mediated through-space interaction. Thus, first-principles calculations do not support a mediated through-space mechanism to explain the magnetism of the pyvd:hq co-crystal. The magnetic topology generated by the two dominant antiferromagnetic interactions in the pyvd:hq co-crystal consists of one-dimensional (1D) alternating chains (interacting very weakly along the b and c axes). By using this topology, the computed macroscopic magnetic susceptibility curve reproduces the experimental one properly. This first-principles bottom-up description of the magnetism in the pyvd:hq co-crystal differs in some fundamental aspects from that previously proposed in the literature.

Reaction of CuCl2 with 2-amino-5-fluoropyridine and HCl in aqueous solution yields bis(2-amino-5-fluoropyridinium) tetrachlorocuprate(II), (5FAP)2CuCl4, (1). The complex crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c with cell dimensions a = 6.926(7) A, b = 21.73(2) A, c = 10.911(10) A, beta = 100.19(2) degrees , V = 1616(3) A3, and R1 = 0.0424 based on 2640 independent reflections. The crystal packing shows that each tetrachlorocuprate ion has four nearest-neighbor Cu(II) ions through three types of Cu-Cl...Cl-Cu potential magnetic interactions: one short Cl...Cl distance (d1 = 3.657 A) and two longer Cl...Cl distances (d2 = 4.073 A) that form a layered distorted honeycomb structure. The third nearest neighbor (d3 = 4.239 A) links these layers into a three-dimensional structure. Both powder and single-crystal magnetic susceptibility measurements on 1, over the temperature range of 1.8-325 K, show significant antiferromagnetic interactions. Attempts to analyze the data using a variety of models showed a best fit to the strong-rung ladder model, with 2Jrung = -17.170(14) and 2Jrail = -5.94(5) K [-11.92(1) and -4.13(3) cm(-1), respectively] for the powder, although a comparable result is obtained using an alternate chain model. However, neither of these two models is compatible with a layered distorted honeycomb crystal packing structure. A first-principles bottom-up theoretical study using the 165 K crystallographic data reproduces the macroscopic properties and reveals that at low temperature the crystal has a 3D magnetic topology (all three magnetic pathways are significant) and a singlet ground state.

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