The magnetic properties of intact blood cells of the tunicate Ascidia
ceratodes have been measured up to 50 kOe with a SQUID susceptometer.
Analysis of total metal contents by plasma emission spectroscopy and V
(IV) content by epr indicates that approximately 5% of the accumulated
vanadium is +4 vanadyl ion. Measured values of the magnetic moment M(
p) at different values of the applied magnetic field H over the temper
ature range T= 2-100 K depend on the magnitude of the field indicating
magnetic anisotropy of the ground state. The slope of the M(p) vs. H/
T curve at high temperature is significantly higher than expected from
electron spin S = 1 per vanadium(III) ion. The model that fits these
data best is a dimer with one V(III) S=1 ion ferromagnetically coupled
to a second V(III) S = 1 ion, with spin-coupling constant J = 3.5 cm(
-1), and 5% of the total vanadium content in the form of a V(IV) S = 1
/2 ion. Since vanadium in A. ceratodes is known to reside in at least
three different types of blood cell, the excellent fit indicates that
the metal is stored predominantly as a dimer regardless of blood cell
type. Ferromagnetic coupling implies that the two vanadium ions in the
dimer are connected by an unprotonated mu-oxo bridge.