LAUSR

The search for two- and three-dimensional materials with slow relaxation of the magnetization (single-ion magnets, SIM and single-molecule magnets, SMM) has become a very active area in recent years. Here we show how it is possible to prepare two-dimensional SIMs by combining Dy(III) with two different anilato-type ligands (dianions of the 3,6-disubstituted-2,5-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone: C6O4X22−, with X = H and Cl) in dimethyl sulfoxide (dmso). The two compounds prepared, formulated as: [Dy2(C6O4H2)3(dmso)2(H2O)2]·2dmso·18H2O (1) and [Dy2(C6O4Cl2)3(dmso)4]·2dmso·2H2O (2) show distorted hexagonal honeycomb layers with the solvent molecules (dmso and H2O) located in the interlayer space and in the hexagonal channels that run perpendicular to the layers. The magnetic measurements of compounds 1, 2 and [Dy2(C6O4(CN)Cl)3(dmso)6] (3), a recently reported related compound, show that the three compounds present slow relaxation of the magnetization. In compound 1 the SIM behaviour does not need the application of a DC field whereas 2 and 3 are field-induced SIM (FI-SIM) since they show slow relaxation of the magnetization when a DC field is applied. We discuss the differences observed in the crystal structures and magnetic properties based on the X group of the anilato ligands (H, Cl and Cl/CN) in 1–3 and in the recently reported derivative [Dy2(C6O4Br2)3(dmso)4]·2dmso·2H2O (4) with X = Br, that is also a FI-SIM.