A new cyano-bridged one-dimensional GdFe coordination polymer with o-phenanthroline as the blocking ligand: synthesis, structure, and magnetic properties

Synthesis, structural characterization, and magnetic properties of a new cyano-bridged one-dimensional iron (III)-gadolinium (III) compound, trans-Gd(o-phen)₂(H₂O)₂(μ-CN)₂Fe(CN)₄]_n · 2no-phen (o-phen = 1,10-phenanthroline), have been described. The compound crystallizes in the triclinic space group with the following unit cell parameters: a = 10.538(14) Å, b = 12.004(14) Å, c = 20.61(2) Å, α = 92.41(1)°, β = 92.76(1)°, γ = 112.72(1)°, and Z = 2. In this complex, each gadolinium (III) is coordinated to two nitrile nitrogens of the CN groups coming from two different ferricyanides, the mutually trans cyanides of each of which links another different Gd^III to create -NC-Fe(CN)₄-CN-Gd-NC- type 1-D chain structure. The one-dimensional chains are self-assembled in two-dimensions via weak C-H?N hydrogen bonds. Both the variable-temperature (2-300 K, 0.01 T and 0.8 T) and variable-field (0-50 000 Gauss, 2 K) magnetic measurements reveal the existence of very weak interaction in this molecule. The temperature dependence of the susceptibilities has been analyzed using a model for a chain of alternating classic (7/2) and quantum (1/2) spins.