Thioamide-based tridentate ligands, 1,3-benzenedicarbothioamides (1a-c), were used to afford pincer palladium(II) complexes (Pd(1-H)Cl, 2a-c) with eta(3)-S,C,S type coordination. The complexes exhibit strong emission in a glassy frozen state as well as in the solid state. The decay lifetime of the emission from the complexes is in a range of 8-9 x 10(-5) s, which is indicative of phosphorescent emission. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.