The trichloro-bridged dinuclear Ru(II) complex tri-micro-chloro-bis[[1,1,1-tris(diphenylphosphinomethyl)ethane-kappa(3)P,P',P"]ruthenium(II)] hexafluorophosphate ethanol solvate, [Ru(2)Cl(3)(tripod)(2)]PF(6).C(2)H(6)O, containing the tripod [1,1,1-tris(diphenylphosphinomethyl)ethane, C(41)H(39)P(3)] ligand, was unexpectedly obtained from the reaction of [Ru(III)Cl(3)(tripod)] with 1,4-bis(diphenylphosphino)butane (dppb), followed by precipitation with NH(4)PF(6). The magnetic moment of the compound at room temperature indicates that the dinuclear [Ru(2)(micro-Cl)(3)(tripod)(2)](+) cation is diamagnetic. A single-crystal X-ray structure determination revealed that the two Ru atoms are bridged by the three Cl atoms. The coordination sphere of each Ru atom is completed by the three P atoms of a tripod ligand. The two P(3)Ru units are exactly eclipsed, while the bridging Cl atoms are staggered with respect to the six P atoms. The Ru...Ru distance is 3.3997 (7) A and the mean Cl-Ru-Cl bond angle is 77.7 degrees.