The crystals of dichlorobis-(N,N-dimethylacetamide)zinc(II), ZnCI2(C4H9ON)2, are orthorhombic, P2~2~2~, with the lattice parameters a = 9.922 (2), b = 17.797 (3), c= 8.005 (2) A, Z= 4. Intensity data have been measured on a Picker FACS-1 diffractometer with Mo Ka radiation (graphite monochromator). The structure has been solved by the heavy-atom method and refined by the full-matrix leastsquares procedure to the discrepancy index R=0-052 (Rw=0"067). Two oxygen atoms from N,N-dimethylacetamide molecules and two chlorines coordinate to zinc in a tetrahedral arrangement, Zn-O = 1-964 (7) and 1.975 (8) A, Zn-CI = 2-209 (4) and 2.220 (3) A. The dimethylacetamide ligands are roughly planar. The dichlorobis-(N,N-dimethylacetamide)zinc(II) molecules are connected in a threedimensional network by van der Waals contacts.