The dissociation energy (D-0(0)) of the molecule ZnI was determined from gaseous equilibrium measurements over the range 993-1058 K. The Ag-Zn-I chemical species were generated by reaction Of I-2(g) with a Ag/Zn/Cu sample in an effusion cell source, and their abundances were monitored by mass spectrometry. Both the resulting D-0(0)(ZnI) = 35.7 +/- 1.5 kcal mol(-1) and a previously reported equilibrium value for D-0(0)(ZnCl) are somewhat larger than reported theoretical values, with the Gaussian MP2 method yielding D-0(0) values in closest agreement with experiment. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.