The discovery of giant molecular clusters of paramagnetic metal ions, with metal nuclearities of 30 or greater and diameters up to 6.0 nm, has garnered immense interest due to their relevance to chemistry, physics, and materials science. The allure of giant clusters is rooted in their fascinating properties, such as their aesthetically-pleasing architectures, their nanoscale size regime, and their often remarkable physical properties. These features position giant clusters as truly mesoscale particles at the interface between the classical and quantum realms. Mn/O clusters are at the forefront of 3d transition metal giant clusters, owing to the relevance of Mn to molecular magnets, especially single-molecule magnets (SMMs). The largest homometallic Mn/O clusters and SMMs to date were synthesized by our group beginning over a decade ago: the Mn70 and Mn84 clusters with a torus structure and a diameter of ~4 nm truly straddle the classical-quantum interface both in terms of their size and their magnetic properties. In this presentation, we shall describe the results of an exploration of the factors that determine the Mn70 vs Mn84 nuclearity of the products, in order to pave the way for targeted synthesis of new giant Mn-O clusters.

Giant molecules: Exploring synthetic parameters on the path to new Mn/O torus-like clusters

2019 Spring National Meeting

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