Although 2-phenylpyridine (ppy)-type have been employed very successfully for the design of luminescent Ir III and Pt II complexes, corresponding d 10-coinage metal complexes are unknown. We report on the synthesis of the first, at room temperature stable, Cu I 2-phenylpyridine (ppy)-type complexes, by C-H activation of 2-(2,3,4,5tetrafluorophenyl)pyridine (Htfppy, 1) using [Cu(OH)(IDipp)] (2) (IDipp = bis(2,6-di-isopropylphenyl)imidazole-2ylidene), or by lithiation of 1 and subsequent reaction with CuBr•SMe 2 in the presence of POP ligand (POP = bis{2-(diphenylphosphanyl)phenyl}ether) in THF, giving [Cu(tfppy)(IDipp)] (3) or [Cu(tfppy)(POP)] (4). The complexes thus obtained adopt distorted trigonal and tetrahedral coordination geometries, respectively. Gold(I) tfppy complexes with IDipp (5) or PTol 3 (6) ligands have also been prepared, showing a preference for linear coordination environments due to the non-coordinating pyridine moiety of the tfppy ligand. These structural differences have a profound effect on the photophysical properties of the coinage metal ppy compounds. The Cu I tfppy complexes exhibit intense orange-red luminescence ( max = 610 (3), 607 (4) nm) from a 3 (intra-ligand)CT state in the solid state at room temperature, with phosphorescence lifetimes of = 8.6 (3) and 9.5 (4) s. In contrast, the linear coordination leads to weak emission of the Au I complexes, with 5 displaying simultaneous fluorescence and phosphorescence. Surprisingly, reaction of 2 with Htfppy (1) in MeCN leads to solvent activation and to isolation of a copper acetamide complex [Cu(N(H)C(O)Me)(IDipp)] (14). Scheme 1. Known Cu I Diimine and Aryl, and Unknown Copper(I) 2-Phenylpyridine Complexes. Scheme 2. Synthesis of [Cu(tfppy)(Dipp)] (3) by reaction of 1 with [Cu(tfppy)(Dipp)] (2) in the presence of molecular sieves. Scheme 3. Synthesis of tetrahedral Cu(I) and linear Au(I) tfppy complexes 4-6 by lithiation of 1.