Field-Induced Multiple Relaxation Mechanism of Co^III₂Dy^III Compound with the Dysprosium Ion in a Low-Symmetrical Environment

A defective cubane-shaped heterometallic trinuclear Co^III₂Dy^III compound with only one magnetically interesting ion (Dy^III) has been assembled by virtue of a multifunctional acylhydrazone ligand. Because of the nonaxial ground state of Dy^III ion derived from a low-symmetrical crystal field, the title compound displays field-induced multiple relaxation processes which are of molecular and a dipolar–dipolar coupling origin, as revealed by combined experimental and theoretical investigations. The results demonstrate that such a mononuclear dysprosium­(III) compound with a low-symmetrical environment of magnetic center appears to be a model system for further investigations to shed light on the complex relaxation mechanism of lanthanide-based single ion magnets