High-nuclearity transition-metal complexes (clusters) are of special interest in chemistry and physics because, both in terms of size and physical properties, they bridge the gap between the microscopic and macroscopic world, and between quantum and classical systems. In terms of size, the smallest classical nanoparticles fabricated today are the same size as the largest metal clusters that are synthesized by bottom-up methods.[1] In terms of physical properties, certain transition-metal clusters exhibit single-molecule magnetism [2] at low temperatures, that is, they retain their magnetization in zero field in a manner analogous to that of classical macroscopic magnets, but at the same time they exhibit quantum tunneling of magnetization (QTM), [3] clearly a quantum property. For these reasons transition-metal clusters are of great interest from the viewpoint of fundamental research, and applications have been proposed relating to memory devices [4] and quantum computing. [5] From the structural viewpoint, while the number of polynuclear 3d-metal complexes continues to grow rapidly, some nuclearities remain rare. Icosanuclear complexes are particularly uncommon.A key factor in synthesizing such compounds is the proper use of ligands that can bind together a large number of metal ions. Di-2-pyridyl ketone ((py) 2 CO or dpk, Scheme 1) has afforded a host [6] of polynuclear clusters with a variety of transition-metal ions, including an Fe II enneanuclear singlemolecule magnet.[7] A metal-assisted nucleophilic attack by H 2 O or ROH on the carbonyl group of this ligand yields its gem-diol or hemiacetal form, respectively. Subsequent deprotonation of the hydroxy groups gives the mono-or dianion (in the case of the gem-diol form), which can adopt a large number of coordination modes and bridge up to five metal ions. [7][8][9][10] We therefore supposed that a similar ligand with a second carbonyl group could be attacked on both carbonyl groups to provide additional donor atoms. The 2,6-bis(2-pyridylcarbonyl)pyridine ligand [11] (pyCOpyCOpy or dpcp, Scheme 1) has two carbonyl groups, each bonded to two 2-pyridyl units in a way similar to that in (py) 2 CO. We thus thought that dpcp could have similar solvolysis, deprotonation, and coordination properties. Recent reports by Mak and co-workers on a series of Cu II , [12] Fe III , [13] and Cu I and Ag I [14] complexes verified this hypothesis.