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Herein we report heteroleptic Co( ii ) diimine complexes [Co(H 2 bip) 2 Cl 2 ] ( 1 ), [Co(H 2 bip) 2 Br 2 ] ( 2 ), [Co(H 2 bip) 3 ]Br 2 ·1MeOH ( 3 ) and [Co(H 2 bip) 2 (Me 2 bpy)]Br 2 ·(MeCN) 0.5 ·(H 2 O) 0.25 ( 4 ) (H 2 bip = 2,2′-bi-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidine, bpy = 2,2′-dipyridyl, Me 2 bpy = 4,4′-Me-2,2′-dipyridyl), purposefully prepared to enable a systematic study of magnetic property changes arising from the increase of overall ligand field from σ/π-donor chlorido ( 1 ) to π-acceptor 4,4′Me-2,2′bpy ( 4 ). The presence of axial and rhombic anisotropy ( D and E ) of these compounds is sufficient to allow 1–4 to show field-induced slow relaxation of magnetization. Interestingly, we found as the effective ligand field is increased in the series, rhombicity ( E / D ) decreases, and the magnetic relaxation profile changes significantly, where relaxation of magnetization at a specific temperature becomes gradually faster. We performed mechanistic analyses of the temperature dependence of magnetic relaxation times considering Orbach relaxation processes, Raman-like relaxation and quantum tunnelling of magnetization (QTM). The effective energy barrier of the Orbach relaxation process ( U eff ) is largest in compound 1 (19.2 cm −1 ) and gradually decreases in the order 1 > 2 > 3 > 4 giving a minimum value in compound 4 (8.3 cm −1 ), where the Raman-like mechanism showed the possibility of different types of phonon activity below and above ∼2.5 K. As a precursor of 1 , the tetrahedral complex [Co(H 2 bip)Cl 2 ] ( 1a ) was also synthesized and structurally and magnetically characterized: this compound exhibits slow relaxation of magnetization under an applied dc field (1800 Oe) with a record slow relaxation time of 3.39 s at 1.8 K. 

We report the syntheses and magnetic property characterizations of four mononuclear cobalt( ii ) complex salts featuring a tripodal iminopyridine ligand with external anion receptor groups, [CoL 5-ONHtBu ]X 2 (X = Cl ( 1 ), Br ( 2 ), I ( 3 ) and ClO 4 ( 4 )). While all four salts exhibit anion binding through pendant amide moieties, only in the case of 1 is field-induced slow relaxation of magnetisation observed, whereas in the other salts this phenomenon is absent at the limits of our instrumentation. The effect of chloride inducing a seventh Co–N interaction and concomitant structural distortion is hypothesized as the origin of the observed dynamic magnetic properties observed in 1 . Ab initio computational studies carried out on a 7-coordinate Co( ii ) model species survey the complex interplay of coordination number and trigonal twisting on the sign and magnitude of the axial anisotropy parameter ( D ), and identify structural features whose distortions can trigger large switches in the sign and magnitude of magnetic anisotropy.