The ligand of 2,6-bis{N-[(1′-hydroxymethyl-2′-phenyl)ethyl]carbamoyl}pyridine and its cobalt(Ⅲ) complex was synthesized and characterized by 1H &13C NMR,IR and elemental analysis,and the complex formula of {[Co(L-2H)]2O2}?2H2O was confirmed.IR spectra showed that 2,6-bis{N [(1′-hydroxymethyl-2′-phenyl)ethyl]carbamoyl} pyridine acted as a tetradentate ligand,coordinating through two nitrogen atoms of amide and two oxygen atoms of hydroxy.The optical activities of the target ligand and complex were studied by circular dichroism(CD) spectra,and the results showed that they are chiral compounds.