Cadmium(II) complexes of Imidazolidine-2-selenone (ImSe) and its derivatives have been prepared with the general formula Cd(RImSe)(2)Cl-2 (where R = Me, Et, Pr, etc.). These complexes are characterized by elemental analysis, IR and NMR (H-1, C-13, Se-77 and Cd-113) spectroscopy. An upfield shift in C=Se resonance of selenones in C-13 NMR and in Se-77 and high-frequency shifts in N-H resonances in H-1 are consistent with the selenium coordination to Cd(II). The Se-77 nucleus in Cd(ImSe)Cl-2(2) is shielded by 38 ppm on coordination, relative to the free ligand. The principal components of the Se-77, Cd-113 and C-13 shielding tensors for the complexes were determined from solid-state NMR data. Large selenium chemical shift anisotropies were observed for these complexes. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.