Complexes of Lanthanide (Dy, Er, Yb) Thiocyanates with Tetramethylphenanthroline. Synthesis, Thermolysis, and SMM Properties

The mononuclear neutral complexes [Ln(Me4Phen)2(H2O)(NCS)3]·Me4Phen·0.75EtOH (Ln = Dy, Er, Yb) were prepared for the first time by the reaction of [Ln(H2O)5(NCS)3]·H2O (Ln = Dy, Er, Yb) with 3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (Me4Phen) in ethanol. The products were identified by elemental analysis and powder X-ray diffraction. A thermoanalytical study of the products revealed the transfer of the outer-sphere Me4Phen ligand to the first coordination sphere. The obtained compounds were found to behave as single-molecule magnets.