The ruthenium(II) and rhenium(I) complexes containing an NAD(P)H model compound, 1-benzyl-1,4-dihydronicotinamide (BNAH), as ligand, [Ru(tpy)(bpy)(BNAH)]2+ (1 a) and [Re(bpy)(CO)3(BNAH)]+ (1 b), were quantitatively produced by the reaction of the corresponding metal hydrido complexes with BNA(+) (1-benzylnicotinamidium cation). In the presence of base with pK(a) = 8.9, 1 a and 1 b have much greater reducing power than "free" BNAH. The oxidation potentials of 1 a in the absence and the presence of triethylamine were 0.55 V and -0.04 V, respectively, versus Ag/AgNO(3), whereas that of "free" BNAH was 0.30 V. Spectroscopic results clearly showed that the base extracts a proton from the carbamoyl group on 1 a and 1 b to give the deprotonated BNAH coordinating to the transition-metal complexes [Ru(tpy)(bpy)(BNAH-H+)]+ (3 a) and [Re(bpy)(CO)3(BNAH-H+)] (3 b); this deprotonation underlies the enhancement in reducing ability. The deprotonated forms 3 a and 3 b can efficiently reduce other NAD(P) models to give the corresponding 1,4-dihydro form, resulting in the deprotonated BNA+ being coordinated to the metal complexes [Ru(tpy)(bpy)(BNA(+)-H+)]2+ (2 a) and [Re(bpy)(CO)3(BNA+-H+)]+ (2 b); "free" BNAH and the protonated adducts 1 a and 1 b cannot act in this way. X-ray crystallography was performed on the PF6- salt of 2 a, and showed that the deprotonated nitrogen atom on the carbamoyl group coordinates to the ruthenium(II) metal center with a bond length of 2.086(3) Angstroms. Infrared spectral data suggested that the deprotonated carbamoyl group on the reduced forms 3 a and 3 b is converted to the imido group, and that the oxygen atom coordinates to the metal center.