An object of an aspect of the present invention is to provide: a lubricant excellent in adsorbability on the surface of a magnetic disk and in contamination resistance; and a magnetic disk which uses the lubricant and which is excellent in durability. The lubricant in accordance with an aspect of the present invention contains a fluoropolyether compound having, at a terminal thereof, a hydroxyalkenyl group or a hydroxyalkynyl group.

Provided is a fluorine-containing ether compound that can be suitably used as a material for a lubricant for a magnetic recording medium, capable of forming a lubricant layer having excellent chemical substance resistance and wear resistance even when the thickness is small. A fluorine-containing ether compound represented by the following formula (1):
R.sup.1—R.sup.2—CH.sub.2—R.sup.3—CH.sub.2—R.sup.4—R.sup.5  (1) In the formula (1), R.sup.3 is a perfluoropolyether chain. R.sup.2 and R.sup.4 are divalent linkage groups having a polar group, and may be the same or different. R.sup.1 and R.sup.5 are terminal groups bonded to R.sup.2 or R.sup.4, which may be the same or different, and at least one of R.sup.1 and R.sup.5 is an organic group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms wherein one or more hydrogen atoms of the organic group is substituted with a cyano group.

A lubricant including an ionic liquid including a conjugate base and a conjugate acid, wherein the conjugate acid is represented by General Formula (A) below, and wherein a pKa of an acid that is a source of the conjugate base in acetonitrile is 10 or less,

##STR00001##

where, in General Formula (A), R is a group including a straight-chain hydrocarbon group having 6 or greater carbon atoms, and R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are each independently a hydrocarbon group.

A lubricant including an ionic liquid including a conjugate base and a conjugate acid, wherein the conjugate acid is represented by General Formula (A) below, and wherein a pKa of an acid that is a source of the conjugate base in acetonitrile is 10 or less,

##STR00001##

where, in General Formula (A), R is a group including a straight-chain hydrocarbon group having 6 or greater carbon atoms, and R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are each independently a hydrocarbon group.

Provided is a magnetic tape in which a thickness of a back coating layer is equal to or smaller than 0.20 μm, a C—H derived C concentration calculated from a C—H peak area ratio of C1s spectra obtained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis performed on the surface of the back coating layer at a photoelectron take-off angle of 10 degrees, is equal to or greater than 35 atom %, full widths at half maximum of spacing distribution measured by optical interferometry regarding the surface of the back coating layer before and after performing a vacuum heating with respect to the magnetic tape are respectively greater than 0 nm and equal to or smaller than 10.0 nm, and a difference between a spacing measured after performing the vacuum heating and a spacing measured before performing the vacuum heating is greater than 0 nm and equal to or smaller than 8.0 nm.

The present invention relates to a magnetic recording medium in which a lubricant layer contains a compound A represented by general formula (1) and a compound B represented by general formula (2), satisfying (A/B)=0.2 to 3.0, and has an average thickness of 0.8 nm to 2 nm. R.sup.1—C.sub.6H.sub.4OCH.sub.2CH(OH)CH.sub.2OCH.sub.2—R.sup.2—CH.sub.2OCH.sub.2CH(OH)CH.sub.2OH . . . (1) (R.sup.1 is an alkoxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms. R.sup.2 is —CF.sub.2O(CF.sub.2CF.sub.2O).sub.x(CF.sub.2O).sub.yCF.sub.2— (x, y=0 to 15), —CF.sub.2CF.sub.2O(CF.sub.2CF.sub.2CF.sub.2O).sub.zCF.sub.2CF.sub.2— (z=1 to 15), —CF.sub.2CF.sub.2CF.sub.2O(CF.sub.2CF.sub.2CF.sub.2CF.sub.2).sub.nCF.sub.2CF.sub.2CF.sub.2— (n=0 to 4). HOCH.sub.2CF.sub.2CF.sub.2O(CF.sub.2CF.sub.2CF.sub.2O).sub.mCF.sub.2CF.sub.2CH.sub.2OCH.sub.2CH(OH)CH.sub.2OH . . . (2) (m is an integer).

The invention provides a fullerene compound; a lubricant that is for a magnetic recording medium and that contains the fullerene compound; and a magnetic recording medium. The fullerene compound is an ionic liquid that is represented by general formula (1) and is formed from a Bronsted acid (H.sub.n1X) and a Bronsted base ([R.sub.2R.sub.3)N—].sub.m1—R.sub.1); wherein one of the Brønsted acid and the Broønsted base contains a group having a fullerene; and the other contains a perfluoroalkyl chain. ##STR00001##

Provided herein is a lubricant including a compound of Formula I
L-(CF.sub.2CF.sub.2O).sub.n—CF.sub.2CH.sub.2O—N—OCH.sub.2CF.sub.2O—(CF.sub.2CF.sub.2O).sub.m-M  (Formula I)
wherein L is selected from the group consisting of ##STR00001## M is selected from the group consisting of ##STR00002##
wherein each instance of R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydroxyl, alkoxyl, carbocycyl, phenyl, heterocycyl, piperonyl, carboxyl, alkylamido, acetamido, carbamoyl, N-alkylcarbamoyl, N,N-dialkylcarbamoyl, 2,3-dihydroxy-1-propoxyl, acryloyl, alkacryloyl, methacryloyl, a substituent of methyl methacrylate, and a substituent of glycidyl ether; and
wherein n≧1, m≧1, and n and m are the same or different.

A magnetic recording medium according to one embodiment includes an underlayer and a magnetic layer above the underlayer. The magnetic layer includes a first magnetic material and particulates. A protective layer is positioned above the magnetic layer, the protective layer including a second material. A magnetic recording medium according to another embodiment includes a base film and a first nonmagnetic layer above the base film. The first nonmagnetic layer has first nonmagnetic particles. A second nonmagnetic layer is positioned above the first nonmagnetic layer, the second nonmagnetic layer having second nonmagnetic particles. A magnetic layer is positioned above the second nonmagnetic layer, the magnetic layer including a magnetic material.

A lubricant including a plurality of segments including a divalent center segment and two sidechain segments, each including a perfluoroalkyl ether moieties is provided in which a dewetting thickness of the lubricant may be determined based in-part on a segment weight average molecular weight of the segments. A magnetic recording medium and a magnetic data storage system including the lubricant are also provided.