Twisting induces ferromagnetism in homometallic clusters

Dalton Trans. 2017 Aug 29;46(34):11154-11158. doi: 10.1039/c7dt02360j.

Abstract

A helical chiral cluster bridging two sets of Cu2 units is reported. The two double-stranded ligands induce a distorted tetrahedral environment for one of the two copper(ii) ions whereas the second one remains in a standard octahedral environment. Magnetic measurements and wavefunction calculations demonstrate that the copper(ii) centres are ferromagnetically coupled (J = 7.7 cm-1). This ligand-driven ferromagnetic interaction thus appears as a proof-of-concept of an innovative strategy towards high-spin clusters.