Magneto-structural correlations in dirhenium(iv) complexes possessing magnetic pathways with even or odd numbers of atoms.

The employment of pyrazine (pyz), pyrimidine (pym) and s-triazine (triz) ligands in Re chemistry leads to the isolation of a family of complexes of general formula (NBu)[(ReX)(μ-L)] (L = pyz, X = Cl (1) or Br (2); L = pym, X = Br (3); L = triz, X = Br (4)). 1-4 are dinuclear compounds where two pentahalorhenium(iv) fragments are connected by bidentate pyz, pym and triz ligands. Variable-temperature magnetic measurements, in combination with detailed theoretical studies, uncover the underlying magneto-structural correlation whereby the nature of the exchange between the metal ions is dictated by the number of intervening atoms. That is, the spin-polarization mechanism present dictates that odd and even numbers of atoms favour ferromagnetic (F) and antiferromagnetic (AF) exchange interactions, respectively. Hence, while the pyz ligand in 1 and 2 mediates AF coupling, the pym and triz ligands in 3 and 4 promote F interactions.