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Replacing a monoanionic cyclopentadienyl (Cp) ligand in dysprosium single‐molecule magnets (SMMs) with a dianionic cyclobutadienyl (Cb) ligand in the sandwich complexes [(η4‐Cb′′′′)Dy(η5‐C5Me4tBu)(BH4)]− (1), [(η4‐Cb′′′′)Dy(η8‐Pn†)K(THF)] (2) and [(η4‐Cb′′′′)Dy(η8‐Pn†)]− (3) leads to larger energy barriers to magnetization reversal (Cb′′′′=C4(SiMe3)4, Pn†=1,4‐di(tri‐isopropylsilyl)pentalenyl). Short distances to the Cb′′′′ ligands and longer distances to the Cp ligands in 1–3 are consistent with the crystal field splitting being dominated by the former. Theoretical analysis shows that the magnetic axes in the ground Kramers doublets of 1–3 are oriented towards the Cb′′′′ ligands. The theoretical axiality parameter and the relative axiality parameter Z and Zrel are introduced to facilitate comparisons of the SMM performance of 1–3 with a benchmark SMM. Increases in Z and Zrel when Cb′′′ replaces Cp signposts a route to SMMs with properties that could surpass leading systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstraction of a chloride ligand from the dysprosium metallocene [(Cpttt)2DyCl] ( 1Dy Cpttt=1,2,4-tri( tert-butyl)cyclopentadienide) by the triethylsilylium cation produces the first base-free rare-earth metallocenium cation [(Cpttt)2Dy]+ ( 2Dy) as a salt of the non-coordinating [B(C6F5)4]− anion. Magnetic measurements reveal that [ 2Dy][B(C6F5)4] is an SMM with a record anisotropy barrier up to 1277 cm−1 (1837 K) in zero field and a record magnetic blocking temperature of 60 K, including hysteresis with coercivity. The exceptional magnetic axiality of 2Dy is further highlighted by computational studies, which reveal this system to be the first lanthanide SMM in which all low-lying Kramers doublets correspond to a well-defined MJ value, with no significant mixing even in the higher doublets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]