From the reactions between Mo-2(TiPB)(4), where TiPB is 2,4,6-triisopropylbenzoate, and 2 equiv of the acids 4-formylbenzoic acid, HBzald; 4-(3-oxo-3-phenylpropanoyl)benzoic acid, HAvo; and 4-(2,2-difluoro-6-phenyl-2H-1 lambda(3),3,2 lambda(4)-dioxaborinin-4-yl)benzoic acid, HAvoBF(2), the compounds Mo-2(TiPB)(2)(Bzald)(2), I; Mo-2(TiPB)(2)(Avo)(2), II; and Mo-2(TiPB)(2)(AvoBF(2))(2), III, have been isolated. Compounds I and II are red, and compound III is blue. The new compounds have been characterized by H-1 NMR, MALDI-TOF MS, steady-state absorption and emission spectroscopies, and femtosecond and nanosecond time-resolved transient absorption and infrared spectroscopies. Electronic structure calculations employing density functional theory and time-dependent density functional theory have been carried out to aid in the interpretation of these data. These compounds have strong metal-to-ligand charge transfer, MLCT, and transitions in the visible region of their spectra, and these comprise the S-1 states having lifetimes similar to 5-15 ps. The triplet states are Mo-2 delta delta* with lifetimes in the microseconds. The spectroscopic properties of I and II are similar, whereas the planarity of the ligand in III greatly lowers the energy of the MLCT and enhances the intensity of the time-resolved spectra. The Mo2 unit shifts the ground state equilibrium entirely to the enol form and quenches the degradation pathways of the avobenzone moiety.