The paramagnetic and chiral anion [
Fe(C
5O
5)
3]
3- (C
5O
52- = croconate) has been combined with the organic donorBEDT-TTF (=ET = bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathia
fulvalene) to synthesize a novel paramagnetic semiconductor withthe
first chirality-induced
![](/images/gi<font color=)
fchars/alpha.gi
f" BORDER=0> phase,
![](/images/gi<font color=)
fchars/alpha.gi
f" BORDER=0>-(BEDT-TTF)
5[Fe(C
5O
5)
3]·5H
2O (
1), and one o
f the
few known paramagneticmolecular metals,
![](/images/gi<font color=)
fchars/beta2.gi
f" BORDER=0 ALIGN="middle">-(BEDT-TTF)
5[Fe(C
5O
5)
3]·C
6H
5CN (
2). Both compounds present layers o
f BEDT-TTF molecules,with the
![](/images/gi<font color=)
fchars/alpha.gi
f" BORDER=0> or
![](/images/gi<font color=)
fchars/beta2.gi
f" BORDER=0 ALIGN="middle"> packing modes, alternating with layers containing the high-spin
S = 5/2 Fe(III) anions and solventmolecules. In the
![](/images/gi<font color=)
fchars/alpha.gi
f" BORDER=0> phase, the alternation o
f the chiral [Fe(C
5O
5)
3]
3- anions along the direction perpendicular tothe BEDT-TTF chains induces an alternation o
f the tilt angle o
f the BEDT-TTF molecules, giving rise to the observed
![](/images/gi<font color=)
fchars/alpha.gi
f" BORDER=0> phase. The
![](/images/gi<font color=)
fchars/alpha.gi
f" BORDER=0> phase presents a semiconductor behavior with a high room-temperature conductivity (6 S·cm
-1)and an activation energy o
f 116 meV. The
![](/images/gi<font color=)
fchars/beta2.gi
f" BORDER=0 ALIGN="middle"> phase presents a metallic behavior down to ca. 120 K, where acharge localization takes place with a reentrance to the metallic state below ca. 20 K
followed by a metal-semiconductor transition at ca. 10 K. The magnetic properties are dominated by the paramagnetic
S = 5/2[Fe(C
5O
5)
3]
3- anion with an extra Pauli-type paramagnetism in the metallic
![](/images/gi<font color=)
fchars/beta2.gi
f" BORDER=0 ALIGN="middle"> phase. The ESR spectra con
firm thepresence o
f the high-spin Fe(III)-containing anion and show a progressive localization in the organic sublatticealong with an anti
ferromagnetic coupling below ca. 120 K that, in the metallic
![](/images/gi<font color=)
fchars/beta2.gi
f" BORDER=0 ALIGN="middle"> phase, could be at the origin o
fthe transition
from the metallic to the activated conductivity regime. The correlation between crystal structure andconductivity behavior has been studied by means o
f tight-binding band structure calculations which provide arationalization o
f the charge distribution and conductivity results.