The structural and electronic factors which determine magnetic behavior in insulating solids are to be investigated. The emphasis will be on those factors which influence the magnetic anisotropy in these materials. The use of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) as well as magnetization and magnetic susceptibility studies to probe magnetic anisotropies in copper (II) halides will be stressed. The delineation of magneto- structural correlations will be used as basis to obtain a wide variety of low dimensional systems. included will be S=1 chains to test the Haldane conjecture, ferromagnetic chains with potential as non-conducting magnets, and layer-perovskite systems. In addition, a set a mixed valence chains with potential as one dimensional conductors will be investigated.
