The reaction of cobalt dichloride with the lithium salt of 2,6-diphenyliminopiperidine, Li(DPhIP), leads to the Co-2(DPhIP)(3)(+) cation. The DPhIP ligands in this cation each coordinate in such a way that two adjacent nitrogen atoms are chelated to one cobalt atom while the remaining one is bonded to the other cobalt atom. This leads to a structure in which one Con ion is four-coordinate while the other is five-coordinate. The Co-Co distance of ca. 3.1 Angstrom implies that:there is no direct metal to metal bonding.