An air stable radical-bridged dysprosium single molecule magnet and its neutral counterpart: redox switching of magnetic relaxation dynamics

A pair of related dinuclear lanthanide compounds, viz., [Dy(tmhd)(3)](2)(bptz) (1) and {Cp2Co}{[Dy(tmhd)(3)](2)(bptz)} (2) (tmhd = 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptane dionate; bptz = 3,6-bis(2-pyridyl)-1,2,4,5-tetrazine) are reported. These molecules represent the first study of rare earth ions in which an organic ligand bridged species is isolated in both the neutral and radical anion forms. Both compounds exhibit out-of-phase signals below 4 K. The radical compound is highly air stable, with minimal changes in magnetic behavior after exposure to the atmosphere for two weeks.