Coordination to the "Os 3 (CO) 11 " cluster core of substituted styrylpyridines such as trans-4-(4′-NMe 2 -styryl)pyridine (L 1 ), trans-4-(4′-t-Bu-styryl)pyridine (L 2 ), trans-4-(4′-CF 3 -styryl)pyridine (L 3 ), or trans,trans-4-(4′-NMe 2 -phenyl-1,3-butadienyl)pyridine (L 4 ) produces an enhancement of their quadratic hyperpolarizability, β EFISH , measured by the solution-phase dc electric-field-induced second harmonic (EFISH) generation method. This effect is due either to a red-shift of the intraligand charge-transfer (ILCT) transition upon coordination (when the substituent in para position is a strong electron donor) or to a metal-to-ligand chargetransfer (MLCT) transition (when the substituent is a strong electron acceptor). In the latter case the quadratic hyperpolarizability has a negative sign, due to the negative value of ∆µ eg . Therefore the "Os 3 (CO) 11 " cluster core displays an ambivalent acceptor or donor role. Some of the complexes investigated in this study show significant values (between 500 × 10 -48 and 900 × 10 -48 esu) of the product µβ 0 .