A cyano-based octanuclear {FeIII4NiII4} single-molecule magnet

A new low symmetry octanuclear cyano-based {(Fe4Ni4II)-Ni-III} single-molecule magnet (SMM) is described. This SMM exhibits the highest energy barrier (Delta/k(B) approximate to 33 K) for magnetization reversal seen for any first-row cyanide-based complex. The importance of anisotropy axes alignment and their impact on SMM properties are illustrated when cubic {(Fe4Ni4II)-Ni-III} boxes are compared to octanuclear complexes of lower overall symmetry.