Complexes of salicylhydroxamic acid (shaH) with palladium(II) and platinum(II) were investigated. The synthesis of [Pt(sha)(2)] was attempted via a number of methods, and ultimately H-1 NMR investigations revealed that salicylhydroxamate would not coordinate to chloro complexes of platinum(II). However, [Pt(sha-H)(PPh3)(2)] was successfully synthesized and the crystal structure determined (orthorhombic, space group Pca2(1) a = 17.9325(19) Angstrom, b = 11.3102(12) Angstrom, c = 18.2829(19) Angstrom, Z = 4, R = 0.0224). The sha binds via an [O, O] binding mode, in its hydroximate form. In contrast the palladium complex [Pd(sha)(2)] was readily synthesized and crystallized as [Pd-(sha)(2)](DMF)(4) in the triclinic space group P (1) over bar, a = 7.066(1) Angstrom, b = 9,842(2) Angstrom, c = 12,385(2) Angstrom, alpha = 99.213(3)degrees, beta = 90,669(3)degrees, gamma = 109.767(3)degrees, Z = 1, R = 0.037. The unexpected [N,O'] binding mode of the salicylhydroxamate ligand in [Pd(sha)21 prompted investigation of the stability of a number of binding modes of salicylhydroxamic acid in [M(sha)21 (M = Pd, Pt) by density functional theory, using the B3LYP hybrid functional at the 6-311G* level of theory. Geometry optimizations were carried out for various binding modes of the ligands and their relative energies established. It was found that the [N,O'] mode gave the more stable complex, in accord with experimental observations. Stabilization of hydroxamate binding to platinum is evidently afforded by soft ligands lying trans to them.