Iron(II) complexes of the [Fe(II)(1-bpp2)](2+) type (1-bpp = 2,6-di(pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine) have been intensively investigated in the context of crystal engineering of switchable materials because their spin-crossover (SCO) properties dramatically depend on the counterions. Here, by means of DFT + U calculations at the molecular and solid state levels we provide a rationale for the different SCO behaviour of the BF4(-) and ClO4(-) salts of the parent complex; the former features Fe(II) complexes with a regular coordination geometry and undergoes a spin transition, whereas the Fe(II) complexes of the latter adopt a distorted structure and remain in the high-spin state at all temperatures. The different SCO behaviour of both salts can be explained on the basis of a combination of thermodynamic and kinetic effects. The shape of the SCO units at high temperature is thermodynamically controlled by the intermolecular interactions between the SCO units and counterions within the crystal. The spin trapping at low temperatures in the ClO4(-) salt, in turn, is traced back to a kinetic effect because our calculations have revealed the existence of a more stable polymorph having SCO units in their low-spin state that feature a regular structure. From the computational point of view, it is the first time that the U parameter is fine-tuned on the basis of CASPT2 calculations, thereby enabling an accurate description of the energetics of the spin transition at both molecular and solid-state levels.

The DFT + U methodology is regarded as one of the most-promising strategies to treat the solid state of molecular materials, as it may provide good energetic accuracy at a moderate computational cost. However, a careful parametrization of the U-term is mandatory since the results may be dramatically affected by the selected value. Herein, we benchmarked the Hubbard-like U-term for seven Fe(ii)N6-based pseudo-octahedral spin crossover (SCO) compounds, using as a reference an estimation of the electronic enthalpy difference (ΔHelec) extracted from experimental data (T1/2, ΔS and ΔH). The parametrized U-value obtained for each of those seven compounds ranges from 2.37 eV to 2.97 eV, with an average value of U = 2.65 eV. Interestingly, we have found that this average value can be taken as a good starting point since it leads to an unprecedented mean absolute error (MAE) of only 4.3 kJ mol(-1) in the evaluation of ΔHelec for the studied compounds. Moreover, by comparing our results on the solid state and the gas phase of the materials, we quantify the influence of the intermolecular interactions on the relative stability of the HS and LS states, with an average effect of ca. 5 kJ mol(-1), whose sign cannot be generalized. Overall, the findings reported in this manuscript pave the way for future studies devoted to understand the crystalline phase of SCO compounds, or the adsorption of individual molecules on organic or metallic surfaces, in which the rational incorporation of the U-term within DFT + U yields the required energetic accuracy that is dramatically missing when using bare-DFT functionals.

The neutral radical 1,3,5-trithia-2,4,6-triazapentalenyl (TTTA) is a prototype of moleculebased bistable materials. TTTA crystals undergo a first-order phase transition between their low-temperature diamagnetic and high-temperature paramagnetic phases, with a large hysteresis loop that encompasses room temperature. Here, based on ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and new X-ray measurements, we uncover that the regular stacking motif of the high-temperature polymorph is the result of a fast intra-stack pair-exchange dynamics, whereby TTTA radicals continually exchange the adjacent TTTA neighbour (upper or lower) with which they form an eclipsed dimer. Such unique dynamics, observed in the paramagnetic phase within the whole hysteresis loop, is the origin of a significant vibrational entropic gain in the low-temperature to high-temperature transition and thereby it plays a key role in driving the phase transition. This finding provides a new key concept that needs to be explored for the rational design of novel molecule-based bistable magnetic materials.

The iron(II) [2×2] grid complex Fe-8H has been synthesized and characterized. It undergoes spin-crossover (SCO) upon deprotonation of the hydrazine-based terpyridine-like ligand. The deprotonation patterns have been determined by X-ray crystallography and H NMR spectroscopy and discussed in relation to the spin state of the iron(II) centers, which influences greatly the p K of the ligand. The synthesis of the magnetically silent zinc(II) analogue is also reported, and its (de)protonation behavior has been characterized to serve as a reference for the study of the Fe grid complexes. DFT computations have also been performed in order to investigate how the successive deprotonation of the bridging ligands affects the SCO behavior within the grid.