First Example of Coexistence of Thermal Spin Transition and Liquid-Crystal Properties.

The rodlike FeIII complex of an N-alkyloxysalicylidenyl-N'-ethyl-N-ethylenediamine ligand, shown as a computer model in the picture, is the first compound in which spin-crossover (SC) and liquid-crystalline (LC) properties coexist. This synergy should allow the magnetic and optical properties of SC compounds to be combined with the sensitivity of the LC state to electromagnetic fields.