A series of homodinuclear lanthanide(III) complexes with the 4-cba ligand, [La-2(4-cba)(6)(phen)(2)(H2O)(6)] (1) and [Ln(2) = (4-cba)(6)(phen)(2)(H2O)(2)] (Ln = Pr (2), Nd (3), Sm (4), Eu (5), Gd (6), and Dy (7); 4-Hcba) 4-cyanobenzoic acid; phen = 1,10-phenanthroline), have been synthesized and structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In 1, two water molecules bridge two nine-coordinated La ions, and six 4-cba ligands coordinate to the two La ions in terminal mode. In the isostructural complexes 2-7, two eight-coordinated Ln ions are connected by four bidentate 4-cba ligands, and another two 4-cba ligands terminate the two Ln ions. The variable-temperature magnetic properties of 2-7 have been investigated. Complex 7 shows a significant ferromagnetic interaction between Dy(III), while no magnetic interaction exists between Gd(III) ions in 6. In 2-5, the value of chi T-M decreases with decreasing temperature, but the magnetic interactions between the Ln( III) ions cannot definitely be concluded. Notably, the spin-orbit coupling parameters, lambda, for Sm(III) (216(2) cm(-1)) and Eu(III) (404(2) cm(-1)) have been obtained in 4 and 5, respectively. The strong fluorescent emissions of 4, 5, and 7 demonstrate that ligand-to-Ln(III) energy transfer is efficient and that the coordinated water molecules do not quench their luminescence by the nonradiative dissipation of energy.