Treatment of Ln(NO 3 ) 3 β’6H 2 O, Zn(NO 3 ) 2 β’6H 2 O and carboxylic acids with quinoline in stoichiometric molar ratios in ethanol produces four structural types of carboxylate-bridged lanthanide(III) zinc(II) complexes 5), all of which have been characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Complexes 1 and 2 are isostructural and comprise quinolinium cations, triply propionate-bridged dimeric LnZn anions and lattice water molecules. In 3 the central Dy ion and two terminal Zn ions are bridged by two sets of three equivalent bismonodentate pivalate ligands to form a symmetrical trinuclear DyZn 2 structure. While the Dy ion in 4 is connected to one Zn ion via three bismonodentate propionate ligands and connected to another Zn via only two bismonodentate propionate ligands generating a novel unsymmetrical trinuclear DyZn 2 structure. Complex 5 consists of two triply propionatebridged dinuclear [GdZn(O 2 CC 2 H 5 ) 3 (C 9 H 7 N)(NO 3 )(H 2 O)] subunits, being linked together by two tridentate propionate groups via two Gd ions. The magnetic properties of complex 5 containing a pair of Gd 3 + ions bridged by two carboxylate groups have been investigated. A quantitative analysis of the magnetic data shows the interaction is of antiferromagnetic type with a J constant of -0.042 cm -1 .