Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 12, 2026

Magnetometric Characterization of Intermediates in the Solid-State Electrochemistry of Redox-Active Metal-Organic Frameworks
Published on: June 9, 2023
A dysprosium alkylidene single molecule magnet.
Yin-Cong Kong1, Zi Yang1, Yi Liu1
1School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Life Sciences, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, P. R. China. wangchen0@whut.edu.cn.
Researchers synthesized a novel dysprosium alkylidene complex, achieving the shortest Dy-C bond and demonstrating single-molecule magnet (SMM) properties. This highlights a promising strategy for developing advanced magnetic materials.
Area of Science:
- Organometallic Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Magnetism
Background:
- Single-molecule magnets (SMMs) are crucial for developing advanced magnetic materials.
- Dysprosium complexes are promising candidates for SMMs due to their magnetic properties.
- Controlling the Dy-ligand bond is essential for optimizing SMM performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize a novel dysprosium alkylidene complex.
- To investigate the magnetic properties and structure-property relationships of the complex.
- To explore the role of the Dy-C bond in enhancing SMM behavior.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis and characterization of a dysprosium alkylidene complex with a β-diketiminato ligand.
- Magnetic measurements to determine SMM properties, including effective activation barrier (Ueff).
- Ab initio calculations to analyze electronic structure, crystal-field effects, and magnetic anisotropy.
Main Results:
- The synthesized complex exhibited the shortest reported Dy-C bond length (2.266(3) Å).
- The complex demonstrated potent single-molecule magnet behavior with an effective activation barrier (Ueff) of 305 K.
- Calculations revealed high crystal-field axiality and strong magnetic anisotropy, with relaxation occurring via excited states.
Conclusions:
- The Dy-C bond significantly benefits the molecular magnetism of dysprosium alkylidene SMMs.
- Creating dysprosium complexes with a Dy-ligand multiple bond is a viable strategy for achieving uniaxial magnetic anisotropy.
- This research provides insights into designing high-performance dysprosium-based single-molecule magnets.
Related Concept Videos
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.
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.
Valence Bond Theory
Ferromagnetism
π Electron Effects on Chemical Shift: Overview
Paramagnetism

