This project describes the synthesis and study o f the electrochemical and photophysical properties of four ruthenium(bipyridyl)2 complexes containing a triazole ring and a phenol grouping, with respect to artificial photosynthesis. A concerted effort has been made in the last decades to create compounds capable of absorbing the solar light and converting it into a stable chemical form. This project deals with photoinduced electron transfer. Ruthenium polypyridyl complexes have been shown to be attractive candidates for excited state electron transfer process in fluid solution. Two different phenoltriazole ligands have been synthesised for their interesting features. Altering the state of protonation of the triazole ring affects the photophysical behaviour of the complexes. The phenol moiety is used in an attempt to. mimic the tyrosine function in photosystem II where this grouping is involved in photoinduced electron transfer to P680. One of the ligands synthesised contains a pyridyl ring, the other one contains a pyrazyl ring. This difference has a significant effect on the photophysics of the complexes. Acid/base behaviour, electrochemistry and absorption/emission properties of the complexes have been studied and compared with those of appropriate model compounds. The results are discussed in order to understand the photophysical and electrochemical behaviours of these compounds, with the final goal of designing photochemical molecular devices.