title: A new family of Mn₆ SMMs using phosphinate ligands.
abstract: A new family of hexametallic [Mn(III)₆] Single-Molecule Magnets with general formula [Mn₆O₂(R-sao)₆(X)₂(MeOH)₄₋₆] (R= H, Me, Et or Ph; X = O₂PHPh or O₂P(Ph)₂) have been synthesised and characterised. The molecules are new members of the [Mn₆] family of SMMs in which the carboxylate ligands have been replaced with phenyl- and diphenylphosphinate. The magnetic cores remain largely unaltered meaning that structural distortions of the Mn-N-O-Mn torsion angles in the [Mn₃O] subunits can be used to tune the magnetic properties, switching pairwise exchange interactions from antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic. The results suggest that the Mn₆ building block, be it ferro- or antiferromagnetically coupled, could be an important building block for the formation of novel, functional 0-3D materials.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, The University of Edinburgh, West Mains Road, EH9 3JJ, UK.
authors.forename: Ross
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Inglis
authors.forename: Scott J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Dalgarno
authors.forename: Euan K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Brechin