Site-Selective Photoswitching of Two Distinct Magnetic Chromophores in a Propeller-Like Molecule To Achieve Four Different Magnetic States

Magnetic photoswitching is a highly important but relatively rare phenomenon for enabling optical writing/reading of the magnetic state of a molecule. In this work, an unprecedented site-selective double photoswitching is reported from the assembly of two different “photomagnetic chromophores” into a single hexanuclear molecule: namely, a spin-crossover Fe(II) center exhibiting light-induced excited spin state trapping (LIESST) and a photochemically active octacyanometalate(IV) unit. Four different magnetization levels are accessible through the appropriate combination of violet/red light and temperature, results that highlight the potential of photomagnetic molecules as future molecular memory cells.