Hard Single-Molecule Magnet Behavior by a Linear Trinuclear Lanthanide-[1]Metallocenophane Complex.

A synthetic protocol was developed that involves the transmetalation of a mono-dysprosium-[1]ferrocenophane complex with DyX3 (X = Cl- or I-) to afford [Dy3Fc6Li2(THF)2]-, featuring a rare linear arrangement of magnetically anisotropic Dy3+ ions. The close spatial inter-lanthanide proximity, in combination with μ2-bridging sp2-hybridized CCp groups, enforces significant magnetic coupling and results in hard single-molecule magnet (SMM) behavior, with an effective barrier to magnetization reversal of up to 268 cm-1. Our results highlight the versatility of lanthanide metallocenophane architectures toward the development of novel multinuclear SMM frameworks.