Heterodinuclear complexes, syn- [MPt(-pyt) 2 (bpy) 2 ] n+ (syn- [MPt], M = Pd 2+ , Au 3+ , Hpyt = pyridine-2-thiol, bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine) were synthesized as a selective geometrical isomer by stepwise complexation. X-ray analyses of the hexafluorophosphate salts of these complexes proved their dinuclear structures with short M···Pt distances (2.9084(4) Å for syn- [PdPt] and 2.9071(4) Å for syn- [AuPt]), similar to the 10 homodinuclear complex (2.9292(2) Å for syn- [PtPt]). In the syn- [PdPt] crystal, two dinuclear motifs are arranged closely in a head-to-head manner with a short Pt···Pt distance (3.3757(3) Å), forming a dimerof-dimer structure as in the case of syn- [PtPt] 2 . The reversible structural transformations induced by the uptake and release of CH 3 CN molecules were investigated by powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. These revealed that the vapochromic behaviour was based on the interconversion between two phases, the dimer-of-dimer structure with a short Pt···Pt distance and a - stacked arrangement with no Pt···Pt 20 intermolecular interaction. The introduction of the hetero metal ions enabled control of the colour region: orange red for syn- [PdPt] vs. light red dark red for syn- [PtPt], reflecting the weaker metal-metal interaction between Pd 2+ and Pt 2+ ions in the dinuclear motif. In addition, these complexes were found to exhibit mechanochromic behaviour based on a crystal-to-amorphous transformation upon grinding, and the reconstruction of the crystal structures by vapour sorption.