Tuning of Cr–Cr Magnetic Exchange through Chalcogenide Linkers in Cr 2 Molecular Dimers

Gamage, Eranga H.; Ribeiro, Raquel A.; Harmer, Colin P.; Canfield, Paul C.; Ozarowski, Andrew; Kovnir, Kirill

doi:10.1021/acs.inorgchem.2c00298

Abstract

A novel transition metal chalcohalide [Cr₇S₈(en)₈Cl₂]Cl₃ ⋅ 2H₂O, with [Cr₇S₈]⁵⁺dicubane cationic clusters, has been synthesized by a low temperature solvothermal method, using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and ethylenediamine (en) solvents. Ethylenediamine ligand exhibits bi‐ and monodentate coordination modes; in the latter case ethylenediamine coordinates to Cr atoms of adjacent clusters, giving rise to a 2D polymeric structure. Although magnetic susceptibility shows no magnetic ordering down to 1.8 K, a highly negative Weiss constant,θ=−224(2) K, obtained from Curie‐Weiss fit of inverse susceptibility, suggests strong antiferromagnetic (AFM) interactions betweenS=3/2 Cr(III) centers. Due to the complexity of the system with (2S+1)⁷=16384 microstates from seven Cr³⁺centers, a simplified model with only two exchange constants was used for simulations. Density‐functional theory (DFT) calculations yielded the two exchange constants to beJ₁=−21.4 cm⁻¹andJ₂=−30.2 cm⁻¹, confirming competing AFM coupling between the shared Cr³⁺center and the peripheral Cr³⁺ions of the dicubane cluster. The best simulation of the experimental data was obtained withJ₁=−20.0 cm⁻¹andJ₂=−21.0 cm⁻¹, in agreement with the slightly stronger AFM exchange within the triangles of the peripheral Cr³⁺ions as compared to the AFM exchange between the central and peripheral Cr³⁺ions. This compound is proposed as a synthon towards magnetically frustrated systems assembled by linking dicubane transition metal‐chalcogenide clusters into polymeric networks.

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