Hydrated lead(II) dimethylacetate forms hexanuclear units [Pb 6 (O 2 CCH(CH 3 ) 2 ) 1 2 ]4H 2 O in the solid state consisting of a ring of four lead atoms linked by oxygen atoms belonging to chelated carboxylates, with two further lead atoms linked to the ring by bridging carboxylate oxygens. Water molecules are coordinated to four lead atoms. There are pairs of Pb atoms with 7, 6 and 5-fold coordination in the molecular unit. The hexanuclear molecularity is retained in solution but Pb 2 0 7 NMR measurements indicate different 5-coordinate sites are formed.