Triflate salts of four platinum(II) pyridyl complexes with a mer-coordinating tridentate pincer ligand, pip(2)NCN(-) (pip(2)NCNH = 1,3-bis(piperidylmethyl)benzene), are reported: Pt(pip(2)NCN)(L)(+) (2, L = pyridine; 3, L = 4-phenylpyridine; 5, L = 2,6-pyridinedimethanol) and [(Pt(pip(2)NCN))(2)(micro-4,4'-bipyridine)](2+) (4). The complexes have been fully characterized by (1)H NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and X-ray crystallography. Compound 2(CF(3)SO(3)(-)): triclinic, P1, a = 9.7518(6) A, b = 12.0132(8) A, c = 12.6718(9) A, alpha = 114.190(2) degrees, beta = 100.745(3) degrees, gamma = 103.545(2) degrees, V = 1247.95(14) A(3), Z = 2. Compound 3(CF(3)SO(3)(-)): monoclinic, P2(1)/c, a = 15.550(2) A, b = 9.7386(11) A, c = 18.965(3) A, beta = 92.559(7) degrees, V = 2869.1(6) A(3), Z = 4. Compound 4(CF(3)SO(3)(-))(2).1/2(CH(3))(2)CO: monoclinic, I2/a, a = 21.3316(5) A, b = 9.6526(2) A, c = 26.1800(6) A, beta = 96.4930(10) degrees, V = 5356.0(2) A(3), Z = 4. Compound 5(CF(3)SO(3)(-)).3/2CHCl(3): monoclinic, P2(1)/n, a = 17.1236(10) A, b = 9.3591(5) A, c = 21.3189(11) A, beta = 96.11(3) degrees, V = 3397.2(3) A(3), Z = 4. The accumulated data indicate that the phenyl group of pip(2)NCN(-) labilizes the trans pyridyl ligand. The electronic structures were investigated using cyclic voltammetry, as well as UV-visible absorption and emission spectroscopies. Red emission from 2 in rigid media originates from a lowest triplet ligand field excited state, whereas yellow-green emissions from 3 and 4 originate from a lowest pyridyl ligand-centered triplet pi-pi state, indicating that substitution of the pyridyl ligand results in a dramatic change in the orbital character of the emissive state.