Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 16, 2026
06:53
Author Spotlight: Magnetometric Characterization of Intermediates in the Solid-State Electrochemistry of Redox-Active Metal-Organic Frameworks
Published on: June 9, 2023
2.9K
Molecular magnetic switch for a metallofullerene
Bo Wu1, Taishan Wang1, Yongqiang Feng1
1Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructure and Nanotechnology, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
Nature Communications
|March 4, 2015
Summary
Researchers developed a system where a nitroxide radical remotely controls the magnetic properties of a metallofullerene. This magnetic switch, using spin-spin interactions, can turn electronic spin resonance (ESR) signals on or off.
Area of Science:
- Supramolecular Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Quantum Control
Background:
- Endohedral fullerenes stabilize reactive species within cages.
- Controlling magnetic properties of encapsulated radicals remotely is challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To achieve remote control over the magnetic properties of metallofullerenes.
- To utilize a nitroxide radical as an external magnetic switch.
Main Methods:
- Synthesized a system linking a paramagnetic metallofullerene (Sc3C2@C80) to a nitroxide radical.
- Investigated spin-spin interactions between the two magnetic centers.
- Analyzed electronic spin resonance (ESR) signals under varying conditions.
Main Results:
- The nitroxide radical acts as a magnetic switch, modulating the ESR signals of Sc3C2@C80.
- Spin-spin interaction strength is tunable by adjusting the distance between magnetic centers.
- ESR signals of Sc3C2@C80 can be reactivated at low temperatures by weakening spin-lattice interactions.
Conclusions:
- Demonstrated remote magnetic control of metallofullerenes via external radical interactions.
- This system offers a method for manipulating spin properties in molecular systems.
- Potential applications in molecular spintronics and quantum information processing.
Related Concept Videos
02:42Valence Bond Theory
11.9K
Coordination compounds and complexes exhibit different colors, geometries, and magnetic behavior, depending on the metal atom/ion and ligands from which they are composed. In an attempt to explain the bonding and structure of coordination complexes, Linus Pauling proposed the valence bond theory, or VBT, using the concepts of hybridization and the overlapping of the atomic orbitals. According to VBT, the central metal atom or ion (Lewis acid) hybridizes to provide empty orbitals of suitable...
11.9K
03:02Colors and Magnetism
14.9K
Color in Coordination Complexes
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...
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...
14.9K
01:24Metal-Semiconductor Junctions
1.4K
The contact of metal and semiconductor can lead to the formation of a junction with either Schottky or Ohmic behavior.
Schottky Barriers
Schottky barriers arise when a metal with a work function (Φm) contacts a semiconductor with a different work function (Φs). Initially, electrons transfer until the Fermi levels of the metal and semiconductor align at equilibrium. For instance, if Φm > Φs, the semiconductor Fermi level is higher than the metal's before contact. The...
Schottky Barriers
Schottky barriers arise when a metal with a work function (Φm) contacts a semiconductor with a different work function (Φs). Initially, electrons transfer until the Fermi levels of the metal and semiconductor align at equilibrium. For instance, if Φm > Φs, the semiconductor Fermi level is higher than the metal's before contact. The...
1.4K
01:31Ferromagnetism
3.6K
Materials like iron, nickel, and cobalt consist of magnetic domains, within which the magnetic dipoles are arranged parallel to each other. The magnetic dipoles are rigidly aligned in the same direction within a domain by quantum mechanical coupling among the atoms. This coupling is so strong that even thermal agitation at room temperature cannot break it. The result is that each domain has a net dipole moment. However, some materials have weaker coupling, and are ferromagnetic at lower...
3.6K
01:27π Electron Effects on Chemical Shift: Overview
1.9K
An applied magnetic field causes loosely bound π-electrons in organic molecules to circulate, producing a local or induced diamagnetic field over a large spatial volume. As the molecules tumble in solution, the field generated by π-electrons in spherical substituents results in a zero net field. However, the net field generated by π-electrons in non-spherical substituents is not zero. The effect of this induced field depends on the orientation of the molecule with respect to B0,...
1.9K
02:51Metal-Ligand Bonds
25.9K
The hemoglobin in the blood, the chlorophyll in green plants, vitamin B-12, and the catalyst used in the manufacture of polyethylene all contain coordination compounds. Ions of the metals, especially the transition metals, are likely to form complexes.
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...
25.9K