Department of Chemistry, Patna University, Patna-800 005 Department of Chemistry, A. N. College, Patna-800 018 Manuscript received 17 May 1988, accepted 8 June 1985 A number of mixed ligand complexes of alkali metal salts of some organic acids with picolinic acid and quinaidinic acid have been synthesised and characterised. They have the general formula ML.HL', where, M=Li, Na or K ; L=deprotonated 8-hydr­oxyquinotine, 1-nitroso-2-naphthol or o-nitrophenol, and HL' = picolinic acid or quinal­dinic acid. Their it spectra suggest the coordination of the alkali metals through oxygen atom of the COOH group as well as nitrogen atom of the heterocyclic ring.