Site-Selective Photoswitching of Two Distinct Magnetic Chromophores in a Propeller-Like Molecule To Achieve Four Different Magnetic States

Magnetic photoswitching is a highly important but relatively
rare
phenomenon for enabling optical writing/reading of the magnetic state
of a molecule. In this work, an unprecedented site-selective double
photoswitching is reported from the assembly of two different “photomagnetic
chromophores” into a single hexanuclear molecule: namely, a
spin-crossover Fe­(II) center exhibiting light-induced excited spin
state trapping (LIESST) and a photochemically active octacyanometalate­(IV)
unit. Four different magnetization levels are accessible through the
appropriate combination of violet/red light and temperature, results
that highlight the potential of photomagnetic molecules as future
molecular memory cells.