The monometallic precursors L
1Cu
and L
2Cu (L
1H
2 st
anding for 1,3-bis((3-ethoxysalicylidene)amino) propane
andL
2H
2 st
anding for 1,2-bis((3-methoxysalicylidene)amino) ethane) react with sodium dicyanamide (dca) (NaN
3C
2), amixture of gadolinium nitrate,
and sodium dicyanamide to yield heterodinuclear L
2CuNa(NCNCN)
and L
1CuGd(NO
3)(NCNCN)
2 entities. The structural determination shows that two Cu-Na entities are linked by dca with anoriginal
1,1 coordination mode, evidenced here for the first time, to yield tetranuclear complexes. Two hydrogenbonds operate between the water molecule coordinated to one of the sodium ions
and the free nitrogen atoms oftwo dca lig
ands, yielding infinite zigzag chains. The structural determination of the Cu-Gd entities indicates thatthey are held together by two dca lig
ands, bridging alternately Cu to Gd
and Gd to Gd cations, in the morecommon
1,5 mode to yield a one-dimensional (1D) network. The dca lig
ands are not able to transmit interactionbetween the magnetically active centers in these chains, which are the unique example of structurally characterizedCu-Gd complexes involving dca lig
ands.