Monometallic Ni(II) and Co(II) complexes with large magnetic anisotropy are studied using correlated wave function based ab initio calculations. Based on the effective Hamiltonian theory, we propose a scheme to extract both the parameters of the zero-field splitting (ZFS) tensor and the magnetic anisotropy axes. Contrarily to the usual theoretical procedure of extraction, the method presented here determines the sign and the magnitude of the ZFS parameters in any circumstances. While the energy levels provide enough information to extract the ZFS parameters in Ni(II) complexes, additional information contained in the wave functions must be used to extract the ZFS parameters of Co(II) complexes. The effective Hamiltonian procedure also enables us to confirm the validity of the standard model Hamiltonian to produce the magnetic anisotropy of monometallic complexes. The calculated ZFS parameters are in good agreement with high-field, high-frequency electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and frequency domain magnetic resonance spectroscopy data. A methodological analysis of the results shows that the ligand-to-metal charge transfer configurations must be introduced in the reference space to obtain quantitative agreement with the experimental estimates of the ZFS parameters.

Herein we develop a simple first-principles methodology to determine the modulation that vibrations exert on spin energy levels, a key for the rational design of high-temperature molecular spin qubits and single-molecule magnets. This methodology is demonstrated by applying it to [Cu(mnt)2] 2-(mnt 2-= 1,2-dicyanoethylene-1,2-dithiolate), a highly coherent complex, using DFT to calculate the normal vibrational modes and wave-function based theory calculations to estimate the spin energy level structure. By theoretically identifying the most relevant vibrational modes, we are able to offer general strategies to chemically design more resilient magnetic molecules, where the qubit energy is not coupled to local vibrations.

This paper provides a qualitative analysis of the physical content of the low-energy states of a spin-transition compound presenting a light-induced excited spin state trapping (LIESST) phenomenon, namely, [Fe(dipyrazolpyridine)2](BF4)2, which has been studied using the wave function-based CASPT2 method. Both the nature of the low-energy states and the relative position of their potential energy wells as a function of the geometry are rationalized from the analysis of the different wave functions. It is shown that the light-induced spin transition occurring in such systems could follow several pathways involving different excited spin states. In an ideal octahedral geometry, the interconversion from the excited singlet state to the triplet of lower energy, which is usually seen as an intermediate state in the LIESST mechanism, is quite unlikely since there is no crossing between the potential energy curves of these two states. On the contrary, in lower-symmetry complexes, the geometrical distortion of the coordination sphere due to ligand constraints is responsible for the occurrence of a crossing between these two states in the Franck-Condon region, leading to a possible participation of this triplet state in the LIESST mechanism. In the reverse LIESST process, a crossing between the potential energy curves of another triplet state and the excited quintet state occurs in the Franck-Condon region as well.

We present a quantitative evaluation of the influence of the electron transfer on the magnetic properties of mixed-valence polyoxometalates reduced by two electrons. For that purpose, we extract from valence-spectroscopy ab initio calculations on embedded fragments the value of the transfer integrals between W nearest-neighbor atoms in a mixed-valence alphaPW(12)O(40) polyoxowolframate Keggin anion. In contradiction with what is usually assumed, we show that the electron transfer between edge-sharing and corner-sharing WO(6) octahedra have very close values. Considering fragments of various ranges, we analyze the accuracy of calculations on fragments based on only two WO(5) pyramids which should allow a low cost general study of transfer parameters in polyoxometalates. Finally, these parameters are introduced in an extended Hubbard Hamiltonian that models the whole anion. It permits to prove that electron transfers induce a large energy gap between the singlet ground state and the lowest triplet states providing a clear explanation of the diamagnetic properties of the mixed-valence Keggin ions reduced by two electrons.

Pentagonal bipyramid Fe complexes have been investigated to evaluate their potential as Ising-spin building units for the preparation of heteropolynuclear complexes that are likely to behave as single-molecule magnets (SMMs). The considered monometallic complexes were prepared from the association of a divalent metal ion with pentadentate ligands that have a 2,6-diacetylpyridine bis(hydrazone) core (H L ). Their magnetic anisotropy was established by magnetometry to reveal their zero-field splitting (ZFS) parameter D, which ranged between -4 and -13 cm and was found to be modulated by the apical ligands (ROH versus Cl). The alteration of the D value by N-bound axial CN ligands, upon association with cyanometallates, was also assessed for heptacoordinated Fe as well as for related Ni and Co derivatives. In all cases, N-coordinated cyanide ligands led to large magnetic anisotropy (i.e., -8 to -18 cm for Fe and Ni, +33 cm for Co). Ab initio calculations were performed on three Fe complexes, which enabled one to rationalize the role of the ligand on the nature and magnitude of the magnetic anisotropy. Starting from the pre-existing heptacoordinated complexes, a series of pentanuclear compounds were obtained by reactions with paramagnetic [W(CN) ] . Magnetic studies revealed the occurrence of ferromagnetic interactions between the spin carriers in all the heterometallic systems. Field-induced slow magnetic relaxation was observed for mononuclear Fe complexes (U /k up to 53 K (37 cm ), τ =5×10 s), and SMM behavior was evidenced for a heteronuclear [Fe W ] derivative (U /k =35 K and τ =4.6 10 s), which confirmed that the parent complexes were robust Ising-type building units. High-field EPR spectroscopic investigation of the ZFS parameters for a Ni derivative is also reported.

We will present the numerical evaluation of the hopping and magnetic exchange integrals for a nearestneighbor t-J model of the quarter-filled ␣Ј-NaV 2 O 5 compound. The effective integrals are obtained from valence-spectroscopy ab initio calculations of embedded crystal fragments ͑two VO 5 pyramids in the different geometries corresponding to the desired parameters͒. We are using a large configurations interaction ͑CI͒ method, where the CI space is specifically optimized to obtain accurate energy differences. We show that the ␣Ј-NaV 2 O 5 system can be seen as a two-dimensional asymmetric triangular Heisenberg lattice where the effective sites represent delocalized V-O-V rung entities supporting the magnetic electrons.

High-spin organic structures can be obtained from fused polycyclic hydrocarbons, by converting selected peripheral HC(sp(2)) sites into H(2)C(sp(3)) ones, guided by Ovchinnikov's rule. Theoretical investigation is performed on a few examples of such systems, involving three to twelve fused rings, and maintaining threefold symmetry. Unrestricted DFT (UDFT) calculations, including geometry optimizations, confirm the high-spin multiplicity of the ground state. Spin-density distributions and low-energy spectra are further studied through geometry-dependent Heisenberg-Hamiltonian diagonalizations and explicit correlated ab initio treatments, which all agree on the high-spin character of the suggested structures, and locate the low-lying states at significantly higher energies. In particular, the lowest-lying state of lower multiplicity is always found to be higher than kT at room temperature (at least ten times higher). Simplification of the ferromagnetic organization based on sets of semilocalized nonbonding orbitals is proposed. Molecular architectures are thus conceived in which the ferromagnetically-coupled unpaired electrons tally up to one third of the involved conjugated carbons. Connecting such building blocks should provide bidimensional materials endowed with robust magnetic properties.

A cyano-bridged Fe(II)-Cr(III) single-chain magnet designed to ensure a parallel orientation of the axial anisotropy of the building units is reported. This ferromagnetic chain compound consists of a pentagonal bipyramid Fe(II) complex with Ising-type anisotropy and a dicyanide Cr(III) complex interlinked through their apical positions. It is characterized by an energy gap for the magnetization reversal of Δ/ k = 113 K and exhibits magnetic hysteresis with a coercive field of 1400 Oe at 2 K which positions this compound among the very few examples of SCMs with spin reversal barriers above 100 K. The quite remarkable performances of this single-strand SCM are attributed to the alignment of the local anisotropy axes, which is supported by ab initio modeling. A discrete CrFe complex based on the same building units and behaving as a SMM in zero field is also reported.