Magnetic and structural characterisation of the layered materials AMnFe(C2S2O2)(3)

We present structural and magnetic data on the series of compounds AMn(II)Fe(III)(C2S2O2)(3) with A = N(CnH2n+1)(4) (n = 3-5) or P(C6H5)(4). The tetra-alkyl ammonium compounds are all ferromagnets with T-C = 10 K, whilst the tetraphenyl phosphonium compound is a ferrimagnet with T-N = 15 K. EXAFS spectroscopy shows that there is significant disorder in the orientation of the dithio-oxalate moiety, while high resolution X-ray powder diffraction measurements prove that the dithio-oxalate materials are structurally analogous to the layered oxalates. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved