Lamb–Mössbauer factor of electronically excited molecular states measured by time‐differential Mössbauer emission spectroscopy

The Lamb-Mössbauer Factor (LMF) of molecular crystals is expected to depend on the electronic molecular states by their different intramolecular vibrational frequencies. Revisiting Mössbauer spectra obtained by time differential Mössbauer emission spectroscopy of the low spin compound [57Co/Mn(bipy)3](PF6)2 (bipy= 2,2'-bipyridine) a ratio of 1.25 for the LMFs of the low spin ground state and of an excited high spin state decaying in the Mössbauer time window could be evaluated. The difference found is in line with the change of LMF observed for spin crossover compounds where the excited high spin state is populated by the so‐called LIESST effect. The initial population of the high spin state is close to 100%.