The reaction of a zirconocene acyl chloride with 0.5 equiv of trimethylaluminum results in the formation of the trinuclear Zr_2Al complex [Cp_2Zr(η^2(C, O)-OC-(CH_3)_2]_2(µ-AIMe_2Χ-µMe), which contains a trigonal-bipyramidal bridging methyl group. The complex crystallizes in the monoclinic system, in space group P2_1ln (C^5_(2h) No. 14), with a = 10.574 (1) Å, b = 16.456 (2) Å, c =16.763 (2) Å, β = 103.71 (1)°, V = 2833.6 (9) Å^3, and Z = 4. This is one of the few structures that contains a bridging methyl group with a near-trigonal-bipyramidal structure in which the metals occupy the axial positions and the three hydrogen atoms are in the equatorial plane
