Rational synthesis of molecular magnetic materials: a tribute to Olivier Kahn

This tutorial is a tribute to Olivier Kahn, a smart scientist who was the man of the transition from magnetochemistry to molecular magnetism. The text presents in a simple way the models used by the late Olivier Kahn to obtain new molecular magnetic systems with unusual but predictable properties. The step starts from the quantum model, followed by the synthesis of systems of increasing complexity (spin cross over mononuclear complexes, binuclear antiferro-, ferro-, and ferri-complexes, one dimensional ferrimagnetic chains and molecule-based magnets) and ends with pratical applications. The tutorial then shows how Kahn's model can be applied to three-dimensional Prussian Blue analogues to get room-temperature magnets and associated devices in a rational way. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.