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Two-coordinate transition metal complexes are exciting candidates for single-molecule magnets (SMMs) because their highly axial coordination environments lead to sizeable magnetic anisotropy. We report a series of five structurally related two-coordinate Fe(II) m-terphenyl complexes (4-R-2,6-Xyl2C6H2)2Fe [R = tBu (1), SiMe3 (2), H (3), Cl (4), CF3 (5)] where, by changing the functionalisation of the para-substituent (R), we alter their magnetic function. All five complexes are field-induced single-molecule magnets, with relaxation rates that are well-described by a combination of direct and Raman mechanisms. By using more electron donating R groups we were able to slow the rate of magnetic relaxation. Our ab initio calculations predict a large crystal field splitting (>850 cm−1) and sizeable zero-field splitting parameters (ca. −60 cm−1, |E| < 0.2 cm−1) for 1–5. These favourable magnetic properties suggest that m-terphenyl ligands have untapped potential as chemically versatile ligands able to impose highly axial crystal fields.

The growth of Engineering Education Research (EER) has led to claims about it becoming a globally connected field of inquiry. This paper presents data on the development of EER within the UK and Ireland with the aim of contributing towards our understanding of the field. A computer-aided process was used to extract the names of authors, affiliated with UK and Irish institutions, that had published in a sample of 13 different EER journals in the years 2018 and 2019. We identified 122 UK authors and 17 from the Republic of Ireland. Selected experts in both countries were contacted to obtain complementary data that were used to build a picture of the research landscape in which EER practitioners function. Similarities and differences between EER in both geographic contexts were identified. In both there were few institutions listed as having EER centres, and it was more common for participants to refer to individual researchers. There also appeared to be a lack of formal PhD programmes and funding opportunities in EER within both countries. Whilst recognition for EER in the UK was primarily associated with teaching awards and fellowships, in Ireland EER outputs appeared to be as valued as disciplinary research activities. The overall portrait that emerges from the data collected suggests that in both the UK and Ireland, EER does not benefit from a national support infrastructure but rather, is typically carried out by individuals or small groups of researchers.

Two-coordinate transition metal complexes are exciting candidates for single-molecule magnets (SMMs) because their highly axial coordination environments lead to sizeable magnetic anisotropy. We report a series of five structurally related two-coordinate Fe(II) m-terphenyl complexes (4-R-2,6-Xyl(2)C(6)H(2))(2)Fe [R = tBu (1), SiMe3 (2), H (3), Cl (4), CF3 (5)] where, by changing the functionalisation of the para-substituent (R), we alter their magnetic function. All five complexes are field-induced single-molecule magnets, with relaxation rates that are well-described by a combination of direct and Raman mechanisms. By using more electron donating R groups we were able to slow the rate of magnetic relaxation. Our ab initio calculations predict a large crystal field splitting (> 850 cm(-1)) and sizeable zero-field splitting parameters (ca. -60 cm(-1), |E| < 0.2 cm(-1)) for 1-5. These favourable magnetic properties suggest that m-terphenyl ligands have untapped potential as chemically versatile ligands able to impose highly axial crystal fields.

The effects of para-substitution on the structural and electronic properties of four series of two-coordinate m-terphenyl Group 12 complexes (R-Ar#)2M (M = Zn, Cd, Hg; R = t-Bu 1–3, SiMe34–6, Cl 7–9, CF310–12, where R-Ar# = 2,6-{2,6-Xyl}2-4-R-C6H2 and 2,6-Xyl = 2,6-Me2C6H3) have been investigated. X-ray crystallography shows little structural variation across the series, with no significant change in the C–M–C bond distances and angles. However, considerable electronic differences are revealed by heteronuclear nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy; a linear correlation is observed between the 113Cd, 199Hg, and 1H (2,6-Xyl methyl protons) NMR chemical shifts of the para-substituted complexes and the Hammett constants for the R-substituents. Specifically, an upfield shift in the NMR signal is observed with increasingly electron-withdrawing R-substituents. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations are employed to attempt to rationalize these trends.