Tris(triphenylplumbyl)plumbate: an anion with three stretched lead-lead bonds.

Treatment of lead(II) bromide with phenylmagnesium bromide at low temperature furnishes yellow crystals of the ionic compound [BrMg(THF)5]+ [:Pb(PbPh3)3]- which, upon X-ray crystallographic analysis, reveals three stretched Pb-Pb bonds and Pb-Pb-Pb angles of about 93 degrees.