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Two iron(III) spin crossover complexes [Fe(5Cl-L)(NCS)] (1) and [Fe(5Cl-L)(NCSe)] (2) were synthesized with the pentadentate Schiff base ligand 5Cl-L and thiocyanato and selenocyanato as coligands. 5Cl-L, as an asymmetric {N3O2} donor Schiff base, was synthesized by a condensation reaction of 5-chlorosalicyladehyde using the asymmetric N-(2-aminoethyl)-1,3-propanediamine. The complexes exhibited a spin crossover at 280 (1) and 293 K (2), respectively, and were subjected to electron spin resonance (ESR) and Mössbauer spectroscopy at 77, 295 and 325 K. Ab initio CASSCF calculations followed by the NEVPT2 method were applied for predicting the g-tensor components as well as Mössbauer parameters.

The fate of doped iron species during various mechanically and thermally initiated redox reactions and aggregation processes in crystalline and amorphous AlO(OH) or Al2O3 matrices was investigated. The amorphization of the matrix was performed by chemical (i.e., via sol-gel processes) or mechanochemical treatment (high-energy ball milling). Thermal analysis, coupled with mass spectrometry (TA-MS), Mössbauer spectroscopy, and electron spin resonance (ESR), was used. The TA under various gas atmospheres allowed preparing samples under a controlled temperature regime, together with a controlled gas influence. Both the effect of mechanical activation and the influence of the iron doping could be followed macroscopically via the down-shift of the peak temperature of the corundum formation. The ESR data characterize the Fe3+ ions and their interaction with the magnetic surrounding based on the fine structure parameters. The Mössbauer data allowed the characterization of the Fe(0), Fe2+, and Fe3+ species, together with providing information about their coordinative surrounding. Both methods provided general complementary spectroscopical information. Unexpectedly, (FeOx)n and (FexAl1-x)2O3 aggregates could also be detected in the range of low Fe concentrations. It was demonstrated that even in the low-level doped systems [(FexAl1-x)2O3 with x ≥ 0.01], all the essential spectroscopic phenomena occur. At higher Fe concentrations, they were discovered to be caused by magnetic and spin exchange interactions as well as by solid-state reactions during and after the mechanical activation.

The investigation of iron-doped AlO(OH)/Al2O3 systems revealed that the combined employment of Mössbauer and ESR spectroscopies together with thermal analysis yields meaningful data with complementary information. This mutual complementarity is based on the coexistence of Fe point defects with the corresponding aggregated FeOx species which has been observed even for very low Fe concentrations. Competing redox processes between the dopant, the AlOx matrix, and the gas atmosphere during the thermal treatment enable the generation of solid phases exhibiting specific chemical properties. The entire reaction process is influenced by a specific mechanical and thermal pre-treatment that affects predominantly oxydative processes in the matrix. A protecting influence of the matrix preventing further reductive attack of the Fe3+ Fe2+ ions by hydrogen has been established.

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) of Fe3+ ions in Al2O3 is studied in powder samples prepared by different routes and/or modified by thermal or mechanical treatments, with different doping levels and grain sizes. The measurements are performed in various frequency bands (S, X, K, Q and W) and with bimodal detection in X-band. Simulations of the spectra are achieved with a code designed for computing EPR powder spectra described by any spin Hamiltonian including second-, fourth-and sixth-order ZFS terms (S ? 7/2). The linewidths, intensities and lineshapes are accounted for. The lineshape is Gaussian at low Fe3+ concentration whereas it is Lorentzian for higher concentration. The linewidths are interpreted as the superimposition of three main contributions: intrinsic linewidth, dipolar broadening and broadening due to lattice imperfections. The latter is tentatively interpreted in terms of quadrupolar spin Hamiltonian parameter distributions treated using first-order perturbation theory. Whatever the sample, only the b22 spin Hamiltonian parameter is found to be distributed around a mean zero value which corresponds to rhombic distortions. Angle and bond length distributions are tentatively extracted from the b22 distributions which gives some insight into the local order around the spin probe in relation to the preparation and treatment of the samples.

The role of Fe3+ ions in the transformations from boehmites and pseudoboehmite xerogels via transition aluminas to corundum was studied here. Especially, the active iron species responsible for the decrease of the temperature of transformation to corundum were looked for. To enable the formation of various Fe3+ and Fe2+ species, samples were subjected to thermal treatments in different atmospheres as well as mechanically activated. Thermal analysis and ESR spectroscopy served to follow the processes and to characterise the resulting products. It was found that (i) isolated Fe3+ ions can indicate local structural changes but have (almost) no influence on the temperature of corundum formation, (ii) the temperature of corundum formation decreases in the result of action of small α-Fe2O3 particles and (iii) during thermal treatments Fe3+ ions are distributed between different phases or precursors thereof: transition aluminas, corundum, Fe2O3, and a Fe3+ pool.