Magneto-structural correlations. Rietveld refinement of the three-dimensional crystal structure of Mn(en)Ni(CN)4 (en = ethylenediamine) and magnetic interactions through the [Ni(CN)4]2− anion

Magneto-structural correlations in Mn(en)Ni(CN)4 (en = ethylenediamine) (MENC) have been studied. The crystal structure of MENC was refined by Rietveld analysis of X-ray powder diffraction data; it is three-dimensional (3d) and is built up of [Mn(en)]2+ cations with deformed octahedrally coordinated Mn(II) (S=5/2)(S=5/2) atoms and [Ni(CN)4]2− anions containing square-planarly coordinated Ni(II) (S=0)(S=0) atoms. The building species are linked by bridging μ2μ2-cyano ligands. The characterization of magnetic properties confirmed the expected 3d nature of spin correlations by observing λ  -like anomaly in specific heat at Tc=0.47 KTc=0.47 K. The resulting exchange interaction J/hc=−0.12 cm−1J/hc=−0.12 cm−1 is somewhat smaller than that found in other complexes with the same type of exchange paths.

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