Unusual magnetic transition in a new 1D molecular solid [1-(4′-iodobenzyl)pyridinium][Ni(mnt)2](mnt2−=maleonitriledithiolatemnt2−=maleonitriledithiolate)

A new molecular solid, [1-(4′-iodobenzyl)pyridinium]-bis(maleonitriledithiolato)nickel, [IBzPy][Ni(mnt)2] (1), has been prepared and characterized. The Ni(mnt)2− anions and [IBzPy]+ cations of 1 form completely segregated uniform stacking columns with the Ni⋯Ni distance 3.956 Å in the column. The temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility reveals that 1 undergoes a magnetic transition around 120 K, and exhibits an antiferromagnetic interaction in the high-temperature phase and a spin gap in the low-temperature phase. The DSC analyses further reveals that the phase transition is first order.

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