Highly Anisotropic Rhenium(IV) Complexes: New Examples of Mononuclear Single-Molecule Magnets

The rhenium­(IV) complex (NBu4)2[ReBr4(ox)] (1) (ox = oxalate and NBu4+ = tetra-n-butylammonium cation) has been prepared and its crystal structure determined by X-ray diffraction. The structure is made up of discrete [ReBr4(ox)]2– anions and bulky NBu4+ cations. Each [ReBr4(ox)]2– anion is surrounded by six NBu4+ cations, which preclude any significant intermolecular contact between the anionic entities, the shortest rhenium···rhenium distance being 9.373(1) Å. Variable temperature dc and ac magnetic susceptibility measurements and field-dependent magnetization experiments on polycrystalline samples of 1 reveal the occurrence of highly anisotropic magnetically isolated Re­(IV) centers (SRe = 3/2), which exhibit slow relaxation of the magnetization at very low temperatures in a dc field. Ac measurements conducted on a polycrystalline sample of the complex (NBu4)2[ReCl4(ox)] (2) [compound isostructural to 1 whose structure and dc magnetic susceptibility study were previously reported in Tomkiewicz, A.; Bartczak, T. J.; Kruszyński, R.; Mroziński, J. J. Mol. Struct. 2001, 595, 225] show a similar behavior, both complexes thus constituting new examples of mononuclear single-molecule magnets. High-frequency and -field electron paramagnetic resonance on polycrystalline samples of 1 and 2 and on single crystals of 2 allowed for the determination for the first time of the negative sign and confirmed a significant magnitude and rhombicity (E/D) of the zero-field splitting tensor of the [ReCl4(ox)]2– and [ReBr4(ox)]2– centers, originating from a combination of spin–orbit coupling and low molecular symmetry. D and E values of 1 and 2 were estimated through magnetization measurements and theoretically calculated through complete active space and density functional theory methodologies.