Reversibility of light-induced excited spin state trapping in the Fe(ptz) 6(BF 4) 2, and the Zn 1−xFe x(ptz) 6(BF 4) 2 spin-crossover systems

Abstract

Fe(ptz) 6(BF 4) 2 (ptz = 1-propyltetrazole) is an iron(II) spin-crossover system which shows light-induced excited spin state trapping. In this paper we show that (a) the same phenomenon can also be observed in Zn 1− x Fe x (ptz) 6(BF 4) 2 ( x ≈ 0.1) and is therefore basically a single-ion property, and (b) that the phenomenon is reversible. The efficiency of the light-induced spin crossover is of the order of 0.5% in the forward direction and 0.1% in the reverse direction.