Russian Doll-like 3d-4f Cluster Wheels with Slow Relaxation of Magnetization.

The solvothermal reactions of LnCl 3 ·6H 2 O and MCl 2 ·6H 2 O (M = Co, Ni) with 2,2'-diphenol (H 2 L 1 ) and 5,7-dichloro-8-hydroxyquinoline (HL 2 ) gave three 3d-4f heterometallic wheel-like nano-clusters [Ln 7 M 6 (L 1 ) 6 (L 2 ) 6 ( µ 3 -OH) 6 (OCH 3 ) 6 Cl(CH 3 CN) 6 ]Cl 2 · x H 2 O (Ln = Dy, M = Co, x = 3 for 1 ; Ln = Dy, M = Ni, x = 0 for 2 ; Ln = Tb, M = Ni, x = 0 for 3 ) with similar cluster structure. The innermost Ln(III) ion is encapsulated in a planar Ln 6 ring which is further embedded in a chair-conformation M 6 ring, constructing a Russian doll-like 3d-4f cluster wheel Ln(III)⸦Ln 6 ⸦M 6 . 2 and 3 show obvious slow magnetic relaxation behavior with negligible opening of the magnetic hysteresis loop. Such a Russian doll-like 3d-4f cluster wheel with the lanthanide disc isolated by transition metallo-ring is rarely reported.