Magnetochemistry

<p>Magnetochemistry is concerned with the magnetic properties of <a href="/facts/Chemical_compound/37FXqqtv">chemical compounds</a> and <a href="/facts/Chemical_element/0jducgWD">elements</a>. Magnetic properties arise from the spin and orbital angular momentum of the electrons contained in a compound. Compounds are <a href="/facts/Diamagnetic/dgFavn9K">diamagnetic</a> when they contain <a href="/facts/Electron_pair/MENP5Gm0">no unpaired electrons</a>. Molecular compounds that contain one or more <a href="/facts/Unpaired_electron/yJTW1urJ">unpaired electrons</a> are <a href="/facts/Paramagnetic/vj1SMbbp">paramagnetic</a>. The magnitude of the paramagnetism is expressed as an effective magnetic moment, μeff. For first-row <a href="/facts/Transition_metal/0slGWoLQ">transition metals</a> the magnitude of μeff is, to a first approximation, a simple function of the number of unpaired electrons, the spin-only formula. In general, <a href="/facts/Spin%E2%80%93orbit_coupling/Pv6maL1S">spin–orbit coupling</a> causes μeff to deviate from the spin-only formula. For the heavier transition metals, <a href="/facts/Lanthanide/rt3XIRCl">lanthanides</a> and <a href="/facts/Actinide/kHC4lxJV">actinides</a>, spin–orbit coupling cannot be ignored. <a href="/facts/Exchange_interaction/orogl7qP">Exchange interaction</a> can occur in clusters and infinite lattices, resulting in <a href="/facts/Ferromagnetism/fH3HFnSl">ferromagnetism</a>, <a href="/facts/Antiferromagnetism/aQ124Kh7">antiferromagnetism</a> or <a href="/facts/Ferrimagnetism/sMcg7RYt">ferrimagnetism</a> depending on the relative orientations of the individual spins.
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Magnetochemistry open-in-new

Magnetochemistry