Here
we report the first experimental observation of magneto-chiral
dichroism (MChD) detected through light absorption in an enantiopure
lanthanide complex. The P and M enantiomers
of [YbIII((X)-L)(hfac)3] (X = P, M; L = 3-(2-pyridyl)-4-aza[6]-helicene; hfac = 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoroacetylacetonate), where the
chirality is held by the helicene-based ligand, were studied in the
near-infrared spectral window. When irradiated with unpolarized light
in a magnetic field, these chiral complexes exhibit a strong MChD
signal (g
MChD ca. 0.12 T–1) associated with the 2F5/2 ← 2F7/2 electronic transition of YbIII. The low
temperature absorption and MChD spectra reveal a fine structure associated
with crystal field splitting and vibronic coupling. The temperature
dependence of the main dichroic signal detected up to 150 K allowed,
for the first time, the disentanglement of the two main microscopic
contributions to the dichroic signal predicted by the MChD theory.
These findings pave the way toward probing MChD in chiral lanthanide-based
single-molecule magnets.