S40 Modern EPR: a Powerful Tool for Studies of Metal Complexes

Organizers
Professor Stephen Hill, Florida State University and National High Magnetic Field Laboratory
Professor Takeji Takui, Osaka City University
Group leader Alexander Schnegg, Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin
Professor Motoko Asano, Faculty of Science & Engineering, Gunma University
Professor Stergios Piligkos, Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, Denmark


Keywords of the session

Transition metal complexes, Electron Paramagnetic Resonance, Actinides, Catalysis


Scope of the session

It is well known that the electronic structures of metal complexes determine their magnetic properties. The reverse is also true, that is, knowing the magnetic properties of a given coordination complex can provide powerful insights into its electronic structure and, therefore, its geometric structure as well. Knowledge of the magnetic properties of metal complexes is thus of paramount importance in terms of understanding their physical characteristics, such as catalytic activity. Moreover, the magnetism associated with coordination complexes involving 3d, 4d and 5d, as well as 4f and 5f metals, has recently become of great interest in terms of the development of so-called single-molecule magnets and molecular spin qubits (quantum bits). The paramagnetism associated with metal species having unpaired spins residing in partially filled d or f shells makes them amenable to interrogation via electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), which has been one of the most successful tools for investigating magnetic properties. From the point of view of coordination chemistry, EPR is a spectroscopic probe: EPR fine structures provide access to details concerning metal-ligand interactions, both in terms of the local coordination geometry and the strength/degree of interaction; meanwhile, electron-nuclear hyperfine (and superhyperfine) interactions yield additional information about the delocalization of spin density away from the metal site. This focused session will bring together leading experts and rising stars in the application of modern EPR methodologies to solve forefront problems of interest to the coordination chemistry community, including actinide complex covalency, bioinorganic chemistry & photochemistry, and molecular magnetism.