High-frequency and -field electron paramagnetic resonance (HFEPR) has been used to study several complexes of high-spin manganese(III) (3d4, S = 2): [Mn(Me2dbm)X] and [Mn(OEP)X] (X = Cl-, Br -), where Meidbm-is the anion of 4,4'-dimethyldibenzoylmethane and OEP 2-is the dianion of 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethylporphine. These non-Kramers (integer spin) systems are not EPR-active with conventional magnetic fields and microwave frequencies. However, use of fields up to 15 T in combination with multiple frequencies in the range of 95-550 GHz allows observation of richly detailed EPR spectra. Analysis of the field-and frequency-dependent HFEPR data allows accurate determination of the following spin Hamiltonian parameters for these complexes: [Mn(Me,dbm)Cl], D = -2.45(3) cm'; [Mn(Me2dbm)Br], D = -1.40(2) cm'; [Mn(OEP)Cl], D = -2.40(1) cm'; [Mn(OEP)Br], D = -1.07 (1) cm -' (E 0, and g 2.0 in all cases). Comparison of structural data with the electronic parameters for these and related complexes shows quantitatively the effects of axial and equatorial ligation on the electronic structure of Mn(III). These high-spin complexes can be employed as building blocks in the construction of single-molecule magnets. Thus the accurate determination and understanding of the electronic properties, best obtainable by HFEPR, of these monomeric units is important in understanding and improving the properties of the polynuclear single-molecule magnets which can be formed from them.
IntroductoinPolynuclear transition metal clusters that possess large ground-state spins (S > 4) are of significant interest for use as magnetic materials. In particular, high-spin molecules with large-magnitude, negative zero-field splitting (zfs) (D < 0) exhibit magnetic hysteresis effects resembling nanomagnets and are termed single-molecule magnets (SMMs) [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. The resultant zfs of a polynuclear complex reflects * Present address: