The aluminum, gallium, and indium tris(ligand) complexes of 3-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-n-propyl-4-pyridinone and 1-n-butyl-3-hydroxy-2-methyl-4-pyridinone have been prepared and characterized. All six compounds were prepared in a one-pot synthesis from maltol, n-propyl-, or n-butylamine and an appropriate metal(III) salt, and were completely characterized (IR, FAB-MS, 1H NMR, 27Al NMR, elemental analysis). Three of the six complexes were studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and were found to form trihydrates, unlike their 1-methyl and 1-ethyl analogues, which formed dodecahydrates. The n-butylpyridinone complex Al(C10H14NO2)3•3H2O (Al(nbp)3•3H2O) and n-propylpyridinone complexes Al(C9H12NO2)3•3H2O (Al(npp)3•3H2O), and Ga(C9H12NO2)3•3H2O (Ga(npp)3•3H2O) were essentially isostructural, crystallizing in the space group [Formula: see text] with the following crystal parameters for Al(nbp)3•3H2O (Al(npp)3•3H2O, Ga(npp)3•3H2O): a = 15.885(1) (15.328(1), 15.367(2)) Å, c = 7.280(8) (7.231(2), 7.256(2)) Å, Z = 2. the data were refined by using 1280 (1377, 1802) reflections with I > 3σ(I) to R andRw values of 0.047 (0.057, 0.055) and 0.061 (0.077, 0.081), respectively. They form fac geometries with infinite chains of hydrogen bonds parallel to the c axis similar to those found in the 1-methyl and 1-ethyl complexes. They lack the hexagonal channels of water molecules which characterized the dodecahydrates and are therefore not exoclathrates. Key words: metal complexes, hydroxypyridinone ligands, exoclathrate, hydrogen bonding, crystal structures.