Poly(2-vinylpyridine) (P2VP) and its metal-based complexes have been synthesized and characterized through analytical measurements, such as thermal analysis and IR- spectroscopy. The electrical conductivity of these complexes was studied as a function of temperature. The conductivity of P2VP is seen to increase by many orders of magnitude on complexation with some metal chlorides such as BaCl2, ZnCl2, NiCl2, or COCl2. The activation energy for electrical conductivity of either of these complexes is found to be lower than that of the host polymer. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.