The standard molar enthalpies of formation of crystalline dialkyldithiocarbamates chelates, [Pd(S2CNR2)2], with R=C2H5, n-C3H7, n-C4H9 and i-C4H9, were determined through reaction-solution calorimetry in acetone, at 298.15 K. From the standard molar enthalpies of formation of the gaseous chelates, the homolytic (172.43.8, 182.53.2,150.93.1 and 162.63.1 kJ mol−1) and heterolytic (745.03.8, 803.73.3,834.33.1 and 735.23.0 kJ mol−1) mean palladium-sulphur bond-dissociation enthalpies were calculated.