Ruthenium(II) diimines have been extensively studied for their notable photo physical properties. Of particular interest are compounds with ligands with peripheral base sites, where the metal-to-ligand charge transfer shifts electron density onto the ligand yielding an emissive state of increased in basicity. One well known example of such complexes, (bis(2,2'-bipyridine) (2-3-bis(2-pyridyl) pyrazine) ruthenium(II), [Ru(bpy)2dpp] 2+, has been studied extensively, yet questions remained regarding the sequence of protonation steps at the two peripheral dpp nitrogens in the ground and excited states and the magnitude of the photo-induced change in acid-base properties at each site. In order to reach a deeper understanding of the kinetic and thermodynamic steps involved in its protonation and coordination, a similar complex was synthesized and studied, (bis(2,2'-bipyridine) (2-(2-pyridyl) pyrazine) ruthenium(II), [(bpy)2Ru(pypz)]2+. The alternative ligand is identical in almost every respect to dpp except for the absence of the free pyridyl ring and the fact that it has only one possible protonation site instead of two. The pypz ligand, thus, represents an ideal candidate to elucidate how the pyrazinyl nitrogen on the coordinated dpp would behave if the additional pyridyl ring on dpp was not present. The differences and similarities in the properties of [(bpy)2Ru(pypz)]2+ and [Ru(bpy)2dpp]2+ in the same environment are highlighted here, describing the peculiar behavior of the acid-base sites of each complex upon excitation and their role in protonation reactions and coordination reactions to d10 metals, namely zinc.