Two series of Pt(diimine)(dithiolate) complexes have been prepared in order to investigate the effects of molecular design on the excited-state properties of this chromophore. The first series comprises Pt(dbbpy)(dithiolate) complexes where dbbpy = 4,4’-di-terr-butyl-2,2’-bipyridine and the dithiolates are 1-(tert-butylcarboxy)-1-cyanoethylene-2,2-dithiolate (tbcda), 1-diethylphosphonate-1-cyanoerhylene-2,2-dithiolate (cpdt), 6,7-dimethylquinoxaline-2,3-dithiolate (dmqdt), maleonitriledithiolate (mnt), and toluene-3,4-dithiolate (tdt). The second series comprises Pt(diimine)(tdt) complexes where the diimines are 3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (tmphen), 4,4’-di-tert-butyl-2,2’-bipyridine (dbbpy), 4,4’-dimethyl-2,2’-bipyridine (dmbpy), 2,2’-bipyridine (bpy), 1,10-phenanthroline (phen), 5-chloro-1,10-phenanthroline (Cl-phen), 4,4’-dichloro-2,2’-bipyridine (Cl(2)bpy), and 4,4’-bis(ethoxycarbonyl)2,2’-bipyridine (EC-bpy). All of the compounds display solvatochromic absorption bands and solution luminescence, which are attributed to a common charge-transfer-to-diimine excited state. The excited-state energies can be tuned by approximately 1 eV through ligand variation. Solution lifetimes range from 1 ns to over 1000 ns and Phi(em) range from 6.4 x 10(-3) to less than 10(-5) in CH2Cl2. Based on these data, the nonradiative and radiative decay rate constants have been calculated. For the Pt(diimine)(tdt) series, the nonradiative decay rate constants increase exponentially with decreasing energy, in agreement with the Energy Gap Law, while those for the Pt(dbbpy)(dithiolate) complexes do not exhibit a similar correlation. Excited-state redox potentials have been estimated for all of the complexes from spectroscopic and electrochemical data. The ability to tune the driving force for bimolecular excited-state electron-transfer reactions has been demonstrated for eight of the complexes using reductive and oxidative quenching experiments.