Keywords: Amino acids / Bioinorganic chemistry / Carbonyl ligands / Molybdenum / Spectro-electrochemistryThe synthesis of the complexes [Mo(bpa)(CO) 3 ] (1) and [Mo(Bz-bpa)(CO) 3 ] (2) [bpa = bis(2-picolyl)amine; Bz-bpa = N-benzylbis(2-picolyl)amine] is described. These compounds have been characterized by spectroscopic techniques including multinuclear NMR spectroscopy ( 1 H, 13 C, and 95 Mo), and also by X-ray crystallography. Complexes 1 and 2 underwent reversible one-electron oxidations in acetonitrile and dichloromethane with Bu 4 NPF 6 as supporting electrolyte to yield the 17-electron organometallic compounds 1 + and 2 + . With Bu 4 NBr as supporting electrolyte in dichloromethane, on the other hand, 1 and 2 underwent electrochemically irreversible two-electron oxidations, resulting in the formation of [Mo(bpa)(CO) 3 Br] + and [Mo(Bz-bpa)(CO) 3 Br] + . Infrared spectra and electronic spectra of these oxidized species were recorded in spectro-electrochemical studies. The electrochemical behaviour and the infrared spectroscopic data of 1, 2, and their oxidized derivatives are compared in detail with those of analogous tricarbonylmolybdenum complexes with [a]