Supramolecular association operating in the crystal structures of organophosphorus, -arsenic, -antimony and -bismuth 1,1-dithiolate compounds is surveyed with the purpose of delineating the factors that dictate the formation of the resultant range of aggregates. Primary considerations for the formation of secondary M … S interactions relate to the Lewis acidity of the central atom that can be moderated by i) the nature of the metal atom itself, e.g. the Lewis acidity of P , As , Sb , Bi, ii) the number of metal-bound organic substituents, e.g. the Lewis acidity of R 2 M , RM, and iii) the coordination potential of the 1,1-dithiolate ligand, e.g. the Lewis acidity of M(S 2 CNR 2 ) , M(S 2 COR). Another vital factor is the steric profile of the metal-and/or ligand-bound R groups, i.e. when R is large, M … S interactions are precluded. When M … S interactions are absent, for whatever reason, the crystal packing is invariably dominated by C-H … S interactions that usually lead to chain motifs.