High-temperature spin crossover in FeIII N4O2 complexes incorporating an [R-sal2323] backbone

Of the multitude of [FeIII(R-sal2323)]X complexes reported in the literature, only four have demonstrated spin crossover (SCO). Herein, we report four additional examples of thermal spin crossover in [FeIII(R-sal2323)]X complexes (where R = Br, NEt2, and X = ClO4-, BF4-). Magnetic susceptibility measurements reveal gradual, high-temperature spin transitions in all four compounds with onsets near room temperature. To investigate the emergence of SCO behaviors being observed in these compounds, a range of intramolecular and intermolecular structural parameters were examined. The effect that ligand substituents may have on the electronic environment, as well as the effect of counterions and various intermolecular interactions on the crystal packing, were investigated and compared to the literature of [FeIII(R-sal2323)]X compounds for which magnetic measurements are reported. This comparison found that neither intramolecular subtleties nor intermolecular interactions have a large impact on whether or not these compounds are SCO active. Instead, it is shown and proposed that many compounds in the [FeIII(R-sal2323)]X family may demonstrate SCO activity if measured to higher temperatures (above 300 K). This would provide a wide range of FeIII compounds that are SCO active near or above room temperature to be explored in future work.