The impact of solvent on spin crossover is explored with T 1/2 varying by 200 K and hysteresis up to 80 K.

A series of iron(III) 1-D polymeric materials of the general formula [Fe(III)(Schiff-base)(L)](BPh(4)).n(CH(3)OH) (Schiff base = N,N'-ethylenebis(salicylaldimine) (H(2)salen), N,N'-o-phenylenebis(salicylaldimine) (H(2)salophen) and N,N'-ethylenebis(acety1acetone)-2,2'-imine (H(2) acen); L = bridging di-pyridyl or di-imidazole ligand, n = 0-4) and analogues therein, have been synthesised and structurally and magnetically characterised. In this series, a range of structural motifs are observed including linear 1-D chains, hydrogen-bonded chains, a 'hybrid' 1-D chain- and -dimer compound and a hydrogen-bonded dinuclear material; all exhibit extensive intermolecular interactions. The magnetic consequences of varying both the equatorial Schiff-base ligands and axial bridging ligands have been investigated. Overall, we find that, independent of the axial bridging ligand employed, the salen equatorial ligand results in a high spin character and the acen ligand results in spin crossover character, generally with a spin transition of a gradual nature. Variations in magnetic behaviour can be rationalized, in part, in terms of the C(2)N(2) backbone conformation of the equatorial Schiff base ligand, which may either inhibit or allow a spin transition.

The complexes (N(4444))(3)[Ln(dcnm)(6)] (Ln = La-Nd, Sm; N(4444) = tetrabutylammonium) display a decrease in the melting point upon fast cooling from a melt, which is shown by in situ synchrotron based X-ray powder diffraction to be due to the formation of a second, less thermodynamically stable, polymorph.

Four new dipyridylamino-substituted s-triazine ligands DBB (N(2),N(2),N(4),N(4)-tetrabenzyl-N(6),N(6)-di(pyridin-2-yl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triamine), DDB (N(2),N(2),N(4),N(4)-tetrabutyl-N(6),N(6)-di(pyridin-2-yl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triamine), DCCl (6-chloro-N(2),N(2)-dicyclohexyl-N(4),N(4)-di(pyridin-2-yl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine) and DDT (N(2),N(2),N(4),N(4)-tetraphenyl-N(6),N(6)-di(pyridin-2-yl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triamine), have been incorporated into eight new, 0D Fe(II) compounds of type [Fe(II)(NCX)(2)(L)(2)]·Solvent (where NCX = NCS(-), NCSe(-) or N(CN)(2)(-)). The polymorphic compounds α-trans-[Fe(II)(NCS)(2)(DBB)(2)] (1) and β-trans-[Fe(II)(NCS)(2)(DBB)(2)] (2) display, respectively, a relatively abrupt, complete, one-step spin transition with T(½) ~ 170 K, and a more gradual, complete, one-step spin transition with T(½) ~ 300 K. Gradual, one-step spin transitions are observed for trans-[Fe(II)(N(CN)(2))(2)(DBB)(2)]·2CH(3)CH(2)OH (3) and trans-[Fe(II)(NCSe)(2)(DCCl)(2)]·2CH(3)OH (6) with T(½) ~ 280 K for both, while the one-step spin transition observed for a desolvated sample of trans-[Fe(II)(NCSe)(2)(DDB)(2)]·2CH(3)OH (4) is relatively abrupt, showing hysteresis with T(½↑) = 285 K and T(½↓) = 275 K. The compounds cis-[Fe(II)(NCS)(2)(DDB)(2)] (5) and trans-[Fe(II)(NCS)(2)(DDT)(2)]·4CH(2)Cl(2) (7) remain high spin, while structural data on trans-[Fe(II)(NCSe)(2)(DDT)(2)]·4CH(2)Cl(2) (8) suggests a spin transition at low temperatures. It is likely that distortion of the Fe(II)N(6) octahedron, intermolecular interactions and molecular conformation are crucial in deciding both the T(½) and abruptness of the spin transition for these species, although the nature of their influence varies. Variable temperature powder X-ray diffraction measurements on the polymorphs 1 and 2 reveal anisotropy in the unit cell parameters as the spin transition occurs.