The gadolinium(III) trifluoroacetates ((CH3)2NH 2)[Gd(CF3COO)4] (1), ((CH3) 3NH)[Gd(CF3 COO)4(H2O)] (2), Gd(CF3COO)3(H2O)3 (3) as well as Gd2(CF3COO)6(H2O) 2(phen)3 · C2H5OH (4) (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) were synthesized and structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. These compounds crystallize in the space group P1 (No. 2, Z = 2) (1, 2 and 4) and P 21/c (No. 14, Z = 4) (3), respectively, with the following lattice constants 1: a = 884.9(2), b = 1024.9(2), c = 1173.1(2) pm, α = 105.77(2), β = 99.51(2), γ = 107.93(2)°; 2: a = 965.1(1), b = 1028.6(1), c = 1271.3(2) pm, α = 111.83(2), β = 111.33(2), γ = 90.44(2)°; 3: a = 919.6(2), b = 1890.6(4), c = 978.7(2) pm, β = 113.94(2)°; 4: a = 1286.7(8), b = 1639.3(8), c = 1712.2(9) pm, α = 62.57(6), β = 84.13(5), γ = 68.28(5)°. The compounds consist of Gd3+ ions which are bridged by carboxylate groups either to chains (1 and 2) or to dimers (3 and 4). In addition to the Gd3+ dimers, compound (4) also contains monomeric Gd3+ units. The magnetic behaviour of 2 and 3 was investigated in a temperature range of 1.77 to 300 K. The magnetic data for these compounds indicate weak antiferromagnetic interactions. © 2006 Verlag der Zeitschrift für Naturforschung.