Although Ru(II) tris(bipyridine) complexes and related a-diimine analogues find wide use in chemistry, many common ligand and metal complex derivatives are difficult to synthesize. The halomethyl bpy ligands and their inert metal complexes are one such example. These compounds are desirable since they serve as useful starting materials for a variety of more elaborate derivatives. Although 4,4'-bis(halomethyl)-2,2'-bipyridine ligands readily chelate to labile metal ions, they are not compatible with the higher temperatures and polar solvents typically required to effect ligand substitution at more inert Ru centers. Alternate routes to these targets involving solvento and other substitution labile intermediates yield products, but yields are typically low due to difficulties in purification. This report describes a new route to Ru(II) halomethyl bpy complexes involving chelation of the more robust 4,4'-bis (hydroxymethyl) -2,2'-bipyridine, bpy(CH2OH)(2), followed by conversion to the corresponding chloromethyl species on the metal using oxalyl chloride and DMF in THF or CH3CN solution. This new "OH to Cl" methodology is demonstrated for Ru(II) complexes with two, four, and six functionalities with both bpy and phen ancillary ligands. Complexes of the general formula [LnRu{bpy(CH2X)(2)}(3-n)](PF6)(2) (L = bpy, phen; X = OH, Cl; n = 0-2) have been prepared in good yield and are conveniently purified by precipitation. These Ru alpha-diimine complexes have already been utilized as multifunctional metalloinitiators for controlled cationic and radical polymerizations. They promise to be valuable for bpy derivatization generally.