Slow magnetic relaxation in a neodymium metallocene tetraphenylborate complex

The compound Cp*2Nd(BPh4) exhibits slow magnetic relaxation under a dc field and the second largest relaxation barrier to date for a mononuclear neodymium single-molecule magnet. Magnetic characterization of holmium and erbium congeners further indicates that the pseudo-axial ligand environment is most favorable for engendering relaxation in lanthanides with equatorially-elongated 4f electron density.263