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This short review article provides the reader with a summary of the history of organic conductors. To retain a neutral and objective point of view regarding the history, background, novelty, and details of each research subject within this field, a thousand references have been cited with full titles and arranged in chronological order. Among the research conducted over ~70 years, topics from the last two decades are discussed in more detail than the rest. Unlike other papers in this issue, this review will help readers to understand the origin of each topic within the field of organic conductors and how they have evolved. Due to the advancements achieved over these 70 years, the field is nearing new horizons. As history is often a reflection of the future, this review is expected to show the future directions of this research field.

Thermodynamic picture induced by π-d interaction in a molecular magnetic superconductor κ-(BETS)2FeX4 (X = Cl, Br), where BETS is bis(ethylenedithio)tetraselenafulvalene, studied by single crystal calorimetry is reviewed. Although the S = 5/2 spins of Fe3+ in the anion layers form a three-dimensional long-range ordering with nearly full entropy of Rln6, a broad hump structure appears in the temperature dependence of the magnetic heat capacity only when the magnetic field is applied parallel to the a axis, which is considered as the magnetic easy axis. The scaling of the temperature dependence of the magnetic heat capacity of the two salts is possible using the parameter of |Jdd|/kB and therefore the origin of the hump structure is related to the direct magnetic interaction, Jdd, that is dominant in the system. Quite unusual crossover from a three-dimensional ordering to a one-dimensional magnet occurs when magnetic fields are applied parallel to the a axis. A notable anisotropic field-direction dependence against the in-plane magnetic field was also observed in the transition temperature of the bulk superconductivity by the angle-resolved heat capacity measurements. We discuss the origin of this in-plane anisotropy in terms of the 3d electron spin configuration change induced by magnetic fields.

The low temperature transport properties of the π-d system (DIETSe) 2 MCl 4 [M = Fe, Ga] are investigated under the high magnetic fields and high pressures. Anomalous behaviors in the magnetic field dependence of resistance are observed in the magnetic Fe salt below about 2 K, while such anomalous behaviors are absent in the nonmagnetic Ga salt, suggesting the strong interaction between the itinerant π-electrons and the localized moments of d-electrons in (DIETSe) 2 FeCl 4 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel conjugation-elongated bis(ethylenedithio)tetraselenafulvalene (BETS) type donor, 2,5-bis(4,5-ethylenedithio-1,3-diselenol-2-ylidene)-2,3,4,5-tetrahydrothiophene (BEDT-HBDST) and its magnetic and non-magnetic anion salts, (BEDT-HBDST)2MX4 (MX4−=FeCl4−, GaCl4−, FeBr4− and GaBr4−), were prepared. These four salts are isostructural and belong to the space group of P2/c. They showed semiconducting behavior with small activation energies (59–64 meV). The band structures of these salts are quasi one-dimensional and there is a midgap between the upper band and the lower band, since the degree of dimerization is significant in the stacking direction. The MX4− ions are located between the donor columns and near to the ethylenedithio moieties of the donor molecules. The magnetic susceptibilities of the FeCl4− and FeBr4− salts follow the Curie–Weiss law with Curie constants of 4.6 and 4.8 emu K mol−1 (sum of the spins of S=5/2 and S=1/2) and negative Weiss temperatures of θ=−1.2 and −4.9 K, respectively, revealing a weak antiferromagnetic interaction of 3d spins of the FeCl4− and FeBr4− anions. The Fe⋯Fe (6.66–7.60 A˚), Cl⋯Cl (4.81–4.82 A˚) and Br⋯Br (4.74–4.77 A˚) distances in the crystal structures of these salts are significantly long. Therefore, the direct magnetic interaction between the 3d spins of the nearest neighboring Fe3+ ions appears to be not readily accessible. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]