The determination of the X-ray crystal structure of Cu-(1) (1,1,1,3,5,5,5-heptafluoro-pentane-2,4-dionato) (vinyltrimethylsilane) or Cu(pfac)(VTMS), a close analogue to Cu(hfaC)(VTMS), which is the most widely used precursor for copper CVD, gives us an unique insight about the molecular structure of such compounds. In particular, two short F...H distances between CF3 groups of a molecule and the alkenyl hydrogen atoms of the neighboring molecule reveal intermolecular interactions specifically related to the structure of the VTMS ligand. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.