Detailed theoretical studies based on density functional theory (DFT)/B3LYP calculations of dimethyl- and diethyldithiocarbamate complexes of Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), and Ag(I) are performed to characterize the metal ligand bonding type as well as the metal-ligand bonding strength depending on the metal and the dialkyl substituent. The metal-ligand interactions in the Studied complexes are investigated by means of charge decomposition analysis, energy partitioning analysis (EPA), and natural bond orbital analysis. According to the EPA calculations, the electrostatic attraction is the dominant contribution to the M-S-2(R(2)dtc) (dtc = dithiocarbamate) bonding. The electrostatic and the orbital energies follow the order of the total binding energy, and hence both contributions are responsible for the binding energy order of M(R(2)dtc)(2) complexes. The stability of the M(R(2)dtc)(2) complexes is estimated by means of calculated formation reaction energies in the gas phase and solution, and it decreases in the order Ni(R(2)dtc)(2) > Cu(R(2)dtc)(2) > Zn(R(2)dtc)(2). Larger formation reaction energies are found for M(Et(2)dtc)(2) than for M(Me(2)dtc)(2) complexes. The calculations predict stabilization of M(II)(R(2)dtc)(2) complexes going from the gas phase to a polar solvent and destabilization of the bidentate AgR(2)dtc complex in a polar solvent. Gas-phase frequency calculations of all possible bonding types, symmetrical, asymmetrical, and uni- and bidentate, predict one band due to the v(CS) IR absorption, and therefore the number of the bands in the 1060-920 cm(-1) region could not be used to discern the metal-ligand bonding type. Periodic DFT frequency calculations for Cu(Et(2)dtc)(2) reveal that the splitting observed in the solid-state spectra of the complexes arises from the nonplanar MS4 fragment and intermolecular contacts but not from asymmetrical bonding. The calculations suggest that the important vibrational characteristic that can be used to discern uni- and bidentate bonding is the Raman activity of the v(CS) band: It is very high for the unidentate dtc bonding (v(C=S)) and low for the bidentate bonding (v(as)(CS)).