Absence of effective spins 1/2 induced by nonmagnetic impurities in a class of low-dimensional magnets

We show that doping a Majumdar--Ghosh chain with non-magnetic impurities does {\it not} produce almost free spins 1/2. The difference between this system and other spin liquids, such as unfrustrated spin ladders, is illustrated in the context of the general dimerized, frustrated spin chain. By detailed analysis of the excitation spectra of finite chains with two impurities, we investigate the evolution of the screening affecting impurity-induced free spins, and of the sign and magnitude of their effective interactions. We comment on a possible connection to impurity-doping experiments in CuGeO_3.