The complexes Ru(L1-CH3)(CO)(3)Cl, RuL2(CO)(2)Cl-2, and RuL3(CO)(2)Cl-2 (L1= 6-methoxy-5,8-quinolinedione, L2 = 7-amino-6-methoxy-5,8-quinolinedione, L3 = 6,6'-dimethoxycarbonyl-2,2'-bipyridine) were prepared by reaction of L1-L3 with the tricarbonyldichlororuthenium(II) dimer. L1-L3 act as bidentates through the ortho oxygen atoms, the pyridyl nitrogen and the adjacent quinone oxygen, and the bipyridyl nitrogens, respectively. RuL3(CO)(2)Cl-2 is characterized by X-ray crystallography. N-15 NMR correlation spectra give upfield shifts of around 60 ppm for the pyridyl nitrogens that are coordinated to the metal, while C-13 NMR correlation spectra give a downfield shift of 10 ppm for the quinone carbonyl group that is coordinated to the metal. The electrochemistry of RuL2(CO)(2)Cl-2 is examined, and the Implications for the formation of metal complexes of the antitumor antibiotic streptonigrin, which cleaves DNA in the presence of metal ions, are discussed.