The dinuclear palladium diselenolenes [Pd 2 (Se 2 C n H 2n−4 ) 2 (PR 3 ) 2 ] react with haloalkanes, via electrophilic attack at the bridging selenium atoms, to yield the neutral mononuclear square planar palladium(II) complexes [PdX(Se{R }C n H 2n−4 Se)(PR 3 )] (n = 6, 7, 8; R = Ph, Bu; X = Br, I; R = Me, Et, etc.), containing a novel chelating selenolato/selenide ligand, in which the alkylated selenium and halogen donor atoms occupy cis-positions. The products have been characterised by mass spectrometry and multinuclear NMR spectroscopy; the molecular structure of the compound with n = 8, R = Ph, R = Et has been determined by X-ray crystallography.