The salt of cobalt hexacyanide with the photochromic mononitrosyl cation [RuNO(NH 3 ) 5 ] 3+ with the composition [RuNO(NH 3 ) 5 ][Co(CN) 6 ] was synthesized. Single crystals of the salt were grown, and the crystal structure was solved. The photochromic properties were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).Key words: synthesis, cobalt hexacyanide, photochromic ruthenium mononitrosyl complex cation, crystal structure, long lived metastable state.In the last decade, the new line of investigation in materials chemistry and physics associated with the de sign of molecular multifunctional compounds based on transition metal coordination complexes has been exten sively developed. The coexistence of various functional building blocks in one and the same crystal lattice allows the control of one of the properties by exposing another property to external factors, such as the temperature, light, or magnetic and electric fields, depending on the combination of the properties of the material. A com bination of these properties in one and the same crystal lattice and their synergism can give rise to the previously unknown properties and new applications in molecular electronics.In this area of investigation, the design of molecular photomagnetic materials (compounds containing light sensitive and magnetic molecular blocks) has attract ed great interest. The low temperature photomagnetic effect was discovered for the first time in the Prussian blue analogue {K 0.2 Co 1.4 [Fe(CN) 6 ]}•6.9H 2 O. 1 Photo magnets based on various classes of transition metal com pounds, in which the light induced electronic structural changes lead to substantial changes in the magnetic prop erties, were synthesized. 2 Among these compounds, most attention has been given to complexes, in which the fol lowing light induced electronic structural changes are ob served: 1) charge transfer from one metal to another (Prus sian blue analogues 1 ); 2) isomerization of the ligand ac companied by changes in the spin state; 3 3) thermal spin transition, such as the transition from one spin state in Fe II complexes; 4 4) metal to ligand charge transfer (nick el nitroprusside 5 ).Recently, it has been found that, like the photo chromic anionic octahedral mononitrosyl complexes [MNOX 5 ] 2-(M = Fe, Ru, or Os; X = CN, Cl, or Br), the cationic ruthenium mononitrosyl complexes [RuNOL 4 X] n+ (L = NH 3 or ethylenediamine; X = NH 3 , Cl, or OH; n = 2 or 3) can form long lived metastable states under light irradiation. 6,7 As opposed to the anionic complexes, only one metastable state (MS1) is formed in the cationic ruthenium mononitrosyl complexes under irradiation at a wavelength of 350-550 nm. The second metastable state (MS2) in these complexes is generated by successive irradiation at 435 and 1064 nm. 8 It is note worthy that the transition temperatures (260-293 K) 8-11 from the metastable state (MS1) to the ground state in the cationic ruthenium mononitrosyl complexes are sub stantially higher than those in the anionic complexes (203-223 K). 8 In t...