The reaction of [RuHCl(CO)(PPh3)3] with 8-hydroxyquinoline has been examined and a novel ruthenium(II) complex – [RuCl(CO)(PPh3)2(C9H6NO)] – has been obtained. This compound has been studied by IR, UV–Vis (absorption and emission), 1H and 31P NMR spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography. The molecular orbital diagram of the complex has been calculated with the density functional theory (DFT) method. The spin-allowed singlet–singlet electronic transitions of the complex have been calculated with the time-dependent DFT method, and the UV–Vis spectrum of the compound has been discussed on this basis.