Ab initio electronic structure calculations elucidate the dramatic differences observed in the electronic spectra of the catechol and alizarin molecules upon binding to titanium. Catechol and alizarin are similar chromophores with analogous electronic spectra in the free state. Binding alizarin to titanium red-shifts the spectrum. The binding of catechol to titanium produces a new optically active transition, at the same time preserving the features of the free catechol spectrum. By examining the details of the calculations, we can rationalize the spectral differences in the catechol and alizarin systems by the positioning of the catechol and alizarin pi molecular orbitals relative to the conduction band of TiO2.