Exploring the Magnetic Interactions in Two Novel Cyanide-bridged Homo- and Heterometallic Hexadecanuclear Complexes.

Two novel isostructural cyanide-bridged hexadecanuclear complexes with the general formula {[Fe(CN)6]6[M{en(Bn)py}]10}2+ [M = Fe (12+), Ni (22+)] have been synthesized. The structural analyses disclose the presence of multivalent Fe centres with different spin states in complex 12+ whereas all the Fe centres share a conserved oxidation state in complex 22+. The DC magnetic study revealed antiferromagnetic interactions between the adjacent metal centres and ferrimagnetic behaviour in 12+. On the other hand, ferromagnetic interactions were observed in complex 22+ due to nearly orthogonal orientation of the interacting orbitals and poor spatial overlap as observed in BS-DFT calculations.