This study provides a detailed analysis on the responsive behavior of 1,2,4,5-tetrakis(2-pyridylthiomethyl)benzene (L) toward group 12 metal nitrates in both aqueous and nonaqueous media. The ligand L proved to be an environmentally responsive species, and structural investigations of its complexes with respective M(NO3)(2) (M = Zn, Cd, and Hg) allowed one to remark on the inherent activity of the nitrate ion, resulting in a distinctively higher coordination number and dimensionality to the metal cations.