  Search of chiral magnetic solitons on the basis of the data on the crystal
structure is important from both fundamental and technological points of view.
Potential chiral magnetic solitons - hexagonal metal formates [NH4][M(HCOO)3]
with M2+ = Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni and KCo(HCOO)3 containing dominating left-handed
chiral antiferromagnetic helices that compete with interhelix interactions have
been identified. The sign and strength of magnetic interactions not only
between nearest neighbors, but also for longer-range neighbors in the metal
formates have been calculated on the basis of structural data. Magnetic
structures of these compounds are similar to that of the chiral magnetic
soliton Cr1/3NbS2. The interrelation between chiral polarization of crystalline
and magnetic structures in the metastable polymorph KCo(HCOO)3 has been
demonstrated.
