Molecular switching in iron complexes bridged via tin-cyanides observed by Mössbauer and ESR spectroscopy

The precursor [FeIII(L)Cl] (LH2 = N,N'-bis(2'-hydroxy-3'-X-benzyliden)-1,6-diamino-3-N-hexane) is a high-spin (S = 5/2) complex (with X = -CH3, -O-CH3). This precursor is combined with the bridging unit [SnIV(CN)4] to yield star-shaped pentanuclear clusters, [(L-X-FeIII)4Sn(CN)4]Cl4 57Fe-M?ssbauer, 119mSn-M?ssbauer, and ESR spectroscopy are used to study our samples. For X = -CH3 the 57Fe-M?ssbauer data show a multiple spin transition between iron(III) in the high-spin and low-spin state. Changing the functional group from X = -CH3 to X = -O-CH3 turns the switchability off.