(α-DT-TTF)2[Au(mnt)2]: a weakly disordered molecular spin-ladder system
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Updated: May 12, 2026

Construction and Systematical Symmetric Studies of a Series of Supramolecular Clusters with Binary or Ternary Ammonium Triphenylacetates
Published on: February 15, 2016
Rafaela A L Silva1, Ana I S Neves, Elsa B Lopes
1Department of Chemistry, IST/ITN, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa/CFMCUL, Estrada Nacional 10, P-2686-953 Sacavém, Portugal.
Abstract:
The synthesis and characterization of (α-DT-TTF)2[Au(mnt)2] is reported. The magnetic properties of this new salt show that it is still a rare example of an organic spin-ladder. (α-DT-TTF)2[Au(mnt)2] shares the same ladder structure of the DT-TTF and ETT-TTF analogues, and its room temperature conductivity is ∼2 S/cm. Despite the observed donor orientation disorder associated with the thiophenic sulfur atoms, the intermolecular interactions between donor units, calculated using the extended Hückel approximation and a double-ξ basis set, show that the interaction values do not depend on the configuration of the sulfur atom on the thiophenic ring. The insensitivity of the spin-ladder magnetic properties to the donor molecular disorder in (α-DT-TTF)2[Au(mnt)2] is a direct consequence of the negligible contribution of the disordered thiophenic sulfur atom to the HOMO. In the related donor ETT-TTF, this contribution is significant and destroys the magnetic interactions, and no spin-ladder is observed. This compound not only enlarges the number of organic spin-ladder systems in this series of closely related compounds but also provides an interesting example of weakly disordered molecular spin-ladder system.
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