  Although (CH3)2NH2CuCl3 (MCCL) was first examined in the 1930's [1], there
are open questions regarding the magnetic dimensionality and nature of the
magnetic properties. MCCL is proposed to be a S=1/2 alternating ferromagnetic
antiferromagnetic spin chain alternating along the crystalline a-axis [2,3].
Proposed ferromagnetic (JFM =1.3 meV) and antiferromagnetic (JAFM =1.1 meV)
exchange constants make this system particularly interesting for experimental
study. Because JFM and JAFM are nearly identical, the system should show
competing behavior between S=1/2 (AFM) and S=1(FM) effects. We report low
temperature magnetic field dependent susceptibility, chi(H), and specific heat,
Cp, of MCCL. These provide an initial magnetic-field versus temperature phase
diagram. A zero-field phase transition consistent with long range magnetic
order is observed at T=0.9 K. The transition temperature can be reduced via
application of a magnetic field. We also present comparisons to a FM/AFM dimer
model that accounts for chi(T,H=0) and Cp(H,T).
