Magnetic properties of five planar defect dicubanes of [LnIII4(μ3-OH)2(L)4(HL)2]·2THF (Ln = Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho and Er)

A series of LnIII4 compounds with defect dicubane structural topology was synthesized using a Schiff base ligand. The Gd4 complex shows overall intramolecular antiferromagnetic coupling (along with Tb4 and Er4) while the more anisotropic Dy4 and Ho4 complexes show intramolecular ferromagnetic coupling, probably due to dominant intramolecular dipolar-dipolar interaction. The Dy4 complex shows Single Molecule Magnet (SMM) behavior.