Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Visualizing Uniaxial-strain Manipulation of Antiferromagnetic Domains in Fe1+YTe Using a Spin-polarized Scanning Tunneling Microscope
Published on: March 24, 2019
Twisting, bending, stretching: strategies for making ferromagnetic [Mn(III)3] triangles
Ross Inglis1, Stephanie M Taylor, Leigh F Jones
1School of Chemistry, The University of Edinburgh, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, UK EH9 3JJ.
Researchers synthesized and characterized trimetallic manganese(III) clusters, creating single-molecule magnets (SMMs). Structural modifications and intermolecular interactions influence their magnetic properties, allowing for tunable magnetic behavior in these manganese-based SMMs.
Area of Science:
- Inorganic Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Magnetism
Background:
- Single-molecule magnets (SMMs) are molecules exhibiting slow magnetic relaxation.
- Trimetallic clusters offer a platform for designing SMMs with tunable properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize a large family of trimetallic manganese(III) clusters.
- To investigate the relationship between molecular structure and magnetic properties.
- To explore the role of intermolecular interactions in the magnetic behavior of SMMs.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of three categories of trimetallic manganese(III) complexes.
- Structural characterization of the synthesized complexes.
- Magnetic property measurements to determine SMM behavior.
Main Results:
- Successfully synthesized and characterized a diverse series of trimetallic [Mn(III)(3)] complexes.
- Demonstrated that structural distortions can tune magnetic properties.
- Observed that intermolecular hydrogen bonding influences magnetic behavior, leading to exchange-biased SMMs.
- Showcased the ability to remove these interactions via ligand replacement for simpler SMMs.
Conclusions:
- Trimetallic manganese(III) clusters represent a versatile class of SMMs.
- Molecular design and control over intermolecular interactions are key to tailoring magnetic properties.
- Ligand modification offers a route to simplify SMM structures and behavior.
Related Concept Videos
Ferromagnetism
Valence Bond Theory
Three-Dimensional Analysis of Strain
Colors and Magnetism
When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human eye.
Diamagnetism
Diamagnetism was discovered by Anton Brugmans in 1778 when he observed that bismuth gets repelled by magnetic fields, thus theorizing that diamagnets get repelled by magnets.
Magnetic Field Due To A Thin Straight Wire

