Magnetic polyoxometalates: anisotropic exchange interactions in the moiety of [(NaOH2)Co3(H2O)(P2W15O56)2]17-.

The magnetic exchange interactions in a C0(3)(11) moiety encapsulated in Na(17) [(NaOH(2))Co(3)(H(2)O)(P(2)W(15)O(56))(2)] (NaCo(3)) were studied by a combination of magnetic measurements (magnetic susceptibility and low-temperature magnetization), with a detailed Inelastic Neutron Scattering (INS) investigation. The novel structure of the salt was determined by X-ray crystallography. The ferromagnetic Co(3)O(14) triangular cluster core consists of three octahedrally oxo-coordinated Co(II) ions sharing edges. According to the single-ion anisotropy and spin-orbit coupling usually assumed for octahedral Co(II) ions, the appropiate exchange Hamiltonian to describe the ground-state properties o…