Independence of the Inverse Spin Hall Effect with the Magnetic Phase in Thin NiCu Films.

Large spin Hall angles have been observed in 3d ferromagnets, but their origin, and especially their link with the ferromagnetic order, remain unclear. Here, we investigate the evolution of the inverse spin Hall effect of Ni_{60}Cu_{40} and Ni_{50}Cu_{50} across their Curie temperatures using spin-pumping experiments. We show that the inverse spin Hall effect in these samples is comparable to that of platinum, and that it is insensitive to the magnetic order. These results point toward a Heisenberg localized model of the transition and suggest that the large spin Hall effects in 3d ferromagnets can be independent of the magnetic phase.

Polarized Neutron Diffraction as a Tool for Mapping Molecular Magnetic Anisotropy: Local Susceptibility Tensors in Co(II) Complexes.

Polarized neutron diffraction (PND) experiments were carried out at low temperature to characterize with high precision the local magnetic anisotropy in two paramagnetic high-spin cobalt(II) complexes, namely [Co(II) (dmf)6 ](BPh4 )2 (1) and [Co(II) 2 (sym-hmp)2 ](BPh4 )2 (2), in which dmf=N,N-dimethylformamide; sym-hmp=2,6-bis[(2-hydroxyethyl)methylaminomethyl]-4-methylphenolate, and BPh4 (-) =tetraphenylborate. This allowed a unique and direct determination of the local magnetic susceptibility tensor on each individual Co(II) site. In compound 1, this approach reveals the correlation between the single-ion easy magnetization direction and a trigonal elongation axis of the Co(II) coordination octahedron. In exchange-coupled dimer 2, the determination of the individual Co(II) magnetic susceptibility tensors provides a clear outlook of how the local magnetic properties on both Co(II) sites deviate from the single-ion behavior because of antiferromagnetic exchange coupling.

Phosphoester hydrolysis: the incoming substrate turns the bridging hydroxido nucleophile into a terminal one.

Identifying the active nucleophile in hydrolysis reactions catalyzed by binuclear hydrolases is a recurrent problem and a matter of intense debate. We report on the phosphate ester hydrolysis by a Fe(III)Fe(II) complex of a binucleating ligand. This complex presents activities in the range of those observed for similar biomimetic compounds in the literature. The specific electronic properties of the Fe(III)Fe(II) complex allowed us to use (1)H NMR and Mössbauer spectroscopies to investigate the nature of the various species present in the solution in the pH range of 5-10. Both techniques showed that the hydrolysis activity is associated to a µ-hydroxido Fe(III)Fe(II) species. Further (1)H NMR experiments show that binding of anions or the substrate changes this bonding mode suggesting that a terminal hydroxide is the likely nucleophile in these hydrolysis reactions. This view is further supported by the structure determination of the hydrolysis product.

Magnetic properties of a doped linear polyarylamine bearing a high concentration of coupled spins (S = 1).

Magnetic properties of a doped linear polyarylamine (PA2), whose chain includes alternating para-phenylene and meta-phenylene groups, and of two cyclic and linear model compounds (C2 and D2) were explored by pulsed-EPR nutation spectroscopy, SQUID magnetometry and DFT calculations. Stoichiometrically doped PA2 samples exhibit a pure S = 1 state (exchange coupling constant J = 18 K) with a high spin concentration (0.65) corresponding to 65% of mers bearing holes. Such properties were already observed for doped reticulated polyarylamines but are quite unusual for doped linear polyarylamines. In order to better understand the properties of PA2, model compounds C2 and D2 were also investigated: pure S = 1 spin states could also be obtained, but with higher J (respectively 57 K and 35 K) and, surprisingly, with high but still limited spin concentrations (respectively 0.77 and 0.65).

1,2-Dihydrotriazinyl-N-oxy free radicals.

Triazinyl-N-oxy free radicals, 2-methyl-2,4,6-triphenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazinyl-1-oxy (6a), 2,2,4,6-tetraphenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazinyl-1-oxy (6b), 2,2-dimethyl-4,6-diphenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazinyl-1-oxy (13), and 2,6-dimethyl-2,4-diphenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,3,5-triazinyl-1-oxy (14), in which the unpaired electron is delocalized over three nitrogen atoms, have been prepared and characterized. A method has been devised for introducing an N-oxide function into the triazinyl core. Then, by using a Grignard reagent, substitution α to the N-oxide group was achieved and the resulting 1,2-dihydrotriazine-N-oxide oxidized into the corresponding nitroxide. Solution EPR spectra exhibit hyperfine splitting that confirms spin delocalization over the three nitrogen atoms of the triazinyl ring. They also show that spin delocalization diminishes with increasing distance for the coupling and is largest for nitrogen N1 and weakest for N5. Free radicals 6a and 13 are stable in the solid state and have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, but they tend to gradually degrade in solution. In the solid state, these two free radicals are arranged into antiferromagnetically exchange-coupled pairs, J=-5.2(6) for 6a and -3.7(4) cm(-1) for 13 (H=-2JS(1)S(2)).

Exposure of biological preparations to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields under low gravity.

There is interest as to whether the electromagnetic fields used in mobile radiotelephony might affect biological processes. Other weak fields such as gravity intervene in a number of physical and biological processes. Under appropriate in vitro conditions, the macroscopic self-organization of microtubules, a major cellular component, is triggered by gravity. We wished to investigate whether self-organization might also be affected by radiotelephone electromagnetic fields. Detecting a possible effect requires removing the obscuring effects triggered by gravity. A simple manner of doing this is by rotating the sample about the horizontal. However, if the external field does not also rotate with the sample, its possible effect might also be averaged down by rotation. Here, we describe an apparatus in which both the sample and an applied radiofrequency electromagnetic field (1.8 GHz) are stationary with respect to one another while undergoing horizontal rotation. The electromagnetic field profile within the apparatus has been measured and the apparatus tested by reproducing the in vitro behavior of microtubule preparations under conditions of weightlessness. Specific adsorption rates of electromagnetic energy within a sample are measured from the initial temperature rise the incident field causes. The apparatus can be readily adapted to expose samples to various other external fields and factors under conditions of weightlessness.