Chiral Crystallization of a Heterodinuclear Ni-Ln Series: Comprehensive Analysis of the Magnetic Properties.

Four heterodinuclear (H₂O)₂NiL-Ln­(NO₃)₃ complexes (Ln = Tb, Dy, Er, Yb) with a double phenoxo bridge coming from the dideprotonated Schiff-base ligand are synthesized and characterized by crystal and powder X-ray diffraction studies. This series of compounds devoid of any chiral center, crystallizes in a noncentrosymmetric space group <i>P</i>2₁, as the previously described (H₂O)₂NiL-Gd­(NO₃)₃ equivalent. All four complexes are ferromagnetically coupled. If this behavior is clearly shown by the χ_M<i>T</i> increase at low temperature in the case of the Ni–Tb and Ni–Dy complexes, it necessitates the preparation of the Zn–Er and Zn–Yb equivalent entities to be evidenced in the case of the Ni–Er and Ni–Yb complexes. Out-of-phase susceptibility signals are found in the four cases, but the SMM behavior is neither confirmed, nor completely studied because of the presence of fast quantum tunnelling at zero field. Thorough ab initio multiconfiguration calculations are carried out, achieving a realistic account of ligand field effects, exchange coupling and magnetic anisotropy in the discussed systems. The calculations reveal the ferromagnetic intercenter exchange coupling, the interplay with spin–orbit effects leading to a Ising-like scheme of the lowest levels. The ab initio simulation of the magnetic susceptibility is in semiquantitative agreement with experimental data, certifying the reasonableness of the theoretical treatments in obtaining valuable information for the interacting mechanisms. The anisotropy is accounted for by drawing polar diagrams of state-specific magnetization functions, obtained by handling of the data resulting from ab initio calculations including the spin–orbit effects. Supplementary, Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations are carried out, presenting new methodological clues and assessments. The DFT is not perfectly adequate for lanthanide systems because of orbital pseudodegeneracy issues. However, we show that in particular circumstances the DFT can be partly used, succeeding here in mimicking different orbital configurations of the Ni–Tb system. The DFT seems to offer reasonable estimations of exchange coupling parameters, while it remains problematic in the complete account of Ligand Field splitting. The Paper presents unprecedented methodological advances and correlations with phenomenological and heuristic interpretation of experimental data, taking into focus relevant d-f systems constructed with a prototypical binucleating ligand