We describe the synthesis of a number of difunctional molecules in which the fluorinated tertiary alcohol grouping, -C(CF3)20H, is combined with a nitrogen donor site such as an amino-group or a pyridine ring. In all cases, zwitterionic behaviour in solution is found resulting from intramolecular proton transfer from the acidic fluorinated alcohol to the nitrogen, and this sometimes persists in the solid state, e.g. NH2CH2CH2C(CF3)20H exists as the dipolar ion +NH3CH2CH2C(CF3),0-. Measurements of pK values suggest that the behaviour of the fluorinated amino-alcohols may be compared with that of the amino-acids, subject to changes to be expected from the lower acidity of the -C(CF3)20H group. Metal complexes of the fluorinated amino-alcohols form readily; specifically, neutral complexes of Co2+, Ni2+, and Cu2+ of formula M(L),, where L is an ionized amino-alcohol chelating through the ionized hydroxy group and the nitrogen atom. Measurements of formation constants show that the six-membered chelate rings are the most stable, while a comparison of the stabilities of fluorinated amino-alkoxy complexes with those of analogous aminoacids shows that the former are less stable: this is attributed to the steric influence of the trifluoromethyl groups.