Vibrational study of new Pt(II) and Pd(II) complexes of functionalized nitrogen-containing tertiary phosphine oxides, namely ortho-, meta- and para-dimethylphosphinylmethyleneoxyaniline (o-, m- and p-dpmoa), (CH 3 ) 2 P(O)CH 2 OC 6 H 4 NH 2 , have been presented. Geometry optimization of the ligands was performed at HF/6-31G* and B3LYP/6-31G* levels of the theory. Harmonic frequencies were calculated at HF/6-31G* optimized geometries. Relative gas-phase and solution-phase (H 2 O and CH 3 CN) basicities of o-, m- and p-dpmoa ligands have been determined by ab initio calculations at STO-3G level with the Onsager reaction field model. On the basis of the vibrational study, physical and analytical data it was suggested that the ligands in the complexes studied coordinate through the amino group and form square-planar platinum and palladium complexes of the general formula ML 2 Cl 2 (M=Pt, Pd, L=o-, m- and p-dpmoa).