Usually called molybdenum pentachloride, it is in fact partly a dimer with the molecular formula . In the dimer, each molybdenum has local octahedral symmetry and two chlorides bridge between the molybdenum centers. A similar structure is also found for the pentachlorides of W, Nb and Ta. In the gas phase and partly in solution, the dimers partially dissociate to give a monomeric . The monomer is paramagnetic, with one unpaired electron per Mo center, reflecting the fact that the formal oxidation state is +5, leaving one valence electron on the metal center.