Five new dinuclear Mn III compounds [{Mn(bpy)(H 2 O)} 2 (μ-4-RC 6 H 4 COO) 2 (μ-O)](NO 3 ) 2 [R = Me (1), F (2), CF 3 (3), MeO (4) and tBu (5); bpy = 2,2Ј-bipyridine] have been synthesized; compounds 1-3 have been characterized by X-ray diffraction. Moreover, a few crystals of the Mn III compound [{Mn(bpy)(H 2 O)}(μ-4-FC 6 H 4 COO)(μ-O){Mn(NO 3 )(bpy)(H 2 O)}]-(NO 3 ) 2 (6) have been obtained. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility data of 1-5 were recorded; all compounds show ferromagnetic behaviour with J = 1.48 cm -1 for 1, 1.44 cm -1 for 2, 5.66 cm -1 for 3, 3.22 cm -1 for 4 and 2.68 cm -1 for 5 (H = -JS 1 ·S 2 ); and |D Mn | = 1.5 cm -1 and |E Mn | = 0.5 cm -1 for all compounds except for 2, for which these values are [c]