Six new solvent-free, homoleptic paramagnetic tris(alkyl)lanthanides
Ln{C(SiHMe2)3}3 (1Ln) and Ln{C(SiHMe2)2Ph}3 (2Ln) (Ln = Gd, Dy, and Er) were synthesized to investigate the magnetic
properties of 4f organometallic compounds stabilized by secondary
Ln↼H–Si and benzylic interactions. The unit cell of 1Gd contains one independent molecule (Z =
2), while 1Dy and 1Er crystallize with four
independent isostructural molecules per unit cell (Z = 16). In all molecules, as in other 1Ln compounds,
the three tris(dimethylsilyl)methyl ligands form a trigonal planar
LnC3 core, and six secondary interactions involving Ln↼H–Si
bonding in Ln{C(SiHMe2)3}3 form above
and below the equatorial plane. Two and five crystallographically
independent molecules of each 2Ln (2Gd, Z = 8; 2Dy, Z = 20) form with
three π-coordinated phenyl groups in addition to either one
or two secondary Ln↼H–Si interactions per molecule.
The packing of these midseries organolanthanide compounds contrasts
the single crystallographically unique molecules in previously reported
La{C(SiHMe2)3}3 (1La, Z = 2, Z′ = 1) and La{C(SiHMe2)2Ph}3 (2La, Z = 2, Z′ = 1/3). 2La doped with 2Dy can adopt the crystallographic structure of 2La, which promotes magnetic properties, namely a higher χm
T value at low temperatures as well as stronger
magnetic anisotropy. The ac susceptibility data for 10% 2Dy doped into 2La suggests slow relaxation at low temperatures
with a relaxation barrier of ∼45 K. The computed saturated
magnetization of 1Er (M ≈ 4.5
μB) and 1Dy (M ≈
6 μB) matches the experimental values, while the
computed value for 2Dy better matches the value measured
for 2Dy diluted in 2La (M ≈ 5 μB). Gas-phase calculations predict
that the ground-state and first excited-state multiplet separations
are larger for 1Er than 2Er, while the ordering
for dysprosium is 1Dy > 2Dy.