Structure and magnetic properties of the two-dimensional ferrimagnet (NEt4)[{Mn(salen)}2Fe(CN)6]: Investigation of magnetic anisotropy on a single crystal

The title compound, (NEt4)[{Mn(salen)}2Fe(CN)6] (1), was synthesized via a 1:1 reaction of [Mn(salen)(H2O)]ClO4 with (NEt4)3[Fe(CN)6] in a methanol/ethanol medium (NEt4+ = tetraethylammonium cation, salen2- = N,N‘-ethylenebis(salicylidene)iminate). The two-dimensional layered structure of 1 was revealed by X-ray crystallographic analysis:  1 crystallizes in monoclinic space group P21/c with cell dimensions of a = 12.3660(8) A, b = 15.311(1) A, c = 12.918(1) A, β = 110.971(4)°, Z = 2 and is isostructural to the previously synthesized compound, (NEt4)[{Mn(5-Clsalen)}2Fe(CN)6] (5-Clsalen2- = N,N‘-ethylenebis(5-chlorosalicylidene)iminate; Miyasaka, H.; Matsumoto, N.; Re, N.; Gallo, E.; Floriani, C. Inorg. Chem. 1997, 36, 670). The Mn ion is surrounded by an equatorial salen quadridentate ligand and two axial nitrogen atoms from the [Fe(CN)6]3- unit, the four Fe−CN groups of which coordinate to the Mn ions of [Mn(salen)]+ units, forming a two-dimensional network having [−Mn−NC−Fe−CN−]4 cyclic repeating units. ...