Synthesis, crystal structure, electronic absorption and magnetic properties of a novel anion-radical salt based on 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane

A novel anion-radical salt, (AP)(TCNQ).H₂O (1), where AP = 4-amino-1-butylpyridin-1-ium and TCNQ = 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane, has been synthesized. X-ray single crystal structural analyses show that the TCNQ anions and AP cations form a well-separated stacking column. The TCNQ anions are uniformly spaced to give a one-dimensional (1-D) chain structure through π⋯π interactions, which is rarely observed in TCNQ anion-radical system. It is noteworthy that compound 1 shows a peculiar magnetic transition from paramagnetism in the high-temperature (HT) phase to spin gap in low-temperature (LT) phase.