Single-molecule magnets

Metal cluster complexes with interesting magnetic properties characteristic of nanoscale magnetic particles have become an attractive prospect in the last few years. These complexes exhibit magnetization hysteresis loops and out-of-phase ac magnetic susceptibility signals. The advantages of such clu sters over Fragmented bulk ferromagnets are their easy synthesis and manipu lation, their high solubility, and their potential use in storing a large d ensity of information. Here we will focus our attention on the family of se veral distorted Mn-4 cubane molecules with a [(MnMn3O3X)-Mn-IV-O-III](6+) c ore, tetranuclear vanadium(III) complexes with a butterfly structure and do decanuclear manganese complexes, [Mn12O12(O2CR)(16)(H2O)(4)] (where R can b e an aliphatic or aromatic group) and their corresponding singly reduced sa lts [Mn12O12(O2CR)(16)(H2O)(4)](PPh4), which have been extensively studied in our laboratories.