Preparations and applications of synthetic linked azamacrocycle ligands and complexes

Covalently linked azamacrocycles have been known for several decades, but only a modest number of these ligands and their complexes had been described prior to 2000. Since that time, a number of new synthetic methods for their preparation have been discovered, yielding a growing collection of these interesting ligands. Additionally, the number of uses to which these ligands and their metal complexes have been applied has expanded. In this review, the important synthetic methods yielding linked azamacrocycles will be outlined, and their applications will be discussed.