A new Tb(3) complex, [Tb(L)3(2,2'-bipy)(DMF)]·(2,2'-bipy) (1), has been synthesized with 2-benzoylbenzoic acid (HL) and 2,20-bipyridine (2,2'-bipy) as ligands. In 1, the Tb(3) ion is coordinated by nine atoms to give a distorted tri-capped trigonal-prismatic geometry. The magnetic and fluorescence properties of 1 are discussed. Compound 1 is paramagnetic in the temperature range of 300 - 24 K, and when the temperature decreases from 22 to 2 K, it exhibits weak ferromagnetism. The compound shows four intense fluorescence emission bands arising ...