The sulfiding of benzils with P(4)S(10) in 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone (DMI) as solvent allows for a direct synthesis of neutral radical, gold dithiolene complexes based on 1,2-bis-(4-alkoxy-phenyl)ethylene-1,2-dithiolate ligands with n-butyl, n-octyl and n-dodecyl chains. The three neutral and soluble complexes Au-OC(4), Au-OC(8) and Au-OC(12) exhibit a near infrared (NIR) absorption band around 1.5 mum and EPR characteristics which confirm a strong delocalization of the spin density on the electron-rich dithiolene ligands. X-Ray crystal structures of Au-OC(4) and Au-OC(12) are compared with those of the corresponding nickel complexes. They are characterised by segregation of the alkyl chains into layered structures with a stacking of the radical complexes into alternated spin chains, confirmed by the temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility which attests for antiferromagnetic interactions and a singlet ground state. Observations under polarising microscope and DSC experiments do not reveal a thermotropic behaviour for Au-OC(12).

A novel radical gold dithiolene complex exhibits a hexagonal columnar mesophase, as confirmed by optical microscopy, DSC analysis and X-ray diffraction. The extent of delocalization of the spin density in such a complex was analyzed by EPR. Temperature dependent magnetization measurements reveal that the global magnetic moment is remarkably affected at the liquid-crystalline phase transition with a marked hysteresis signature, rare behavior among the few described paramagnetic discotic phases. In addition, these molecules were found to strongly aggregate in solution into one-dimensional fibers with a mean diameter of 60 nm extending over micrometres, leading to the formation of gel-like structures. These fibers are stable and can be isolated on surfaces. The gelation of the system can also be detected by temperature-dependent magnetic measurements.