This article discusses polynuclear metal complexes of Schiff base macr
ocycles and their potential application to the modelling of metallobio
sites, in particular di- and tri-nuclear copper(II)-containing sites.
A brief perspective of the area is presented and then the article addr
esses the development of pyridinyl-derived bibracchial (doubly pendant
-armed) Schiff base macrocycles and their metal complexes. The cleft-l
ike configurations of the complexes bear resemblance to the metal-cont
aining pockets present in metalloproteins. A 'first generation' model
for the trinuclear copper site in ascorbate oxidase, and a dinuclear m
anganese(II) complex bearing a single acetato-bridge, and which may ha
ve relevance to the modelling of dinuclear manganese biosites, are dis
cussed. An extension of the work to thiophene-derived macrocycles and
their dicopper(I) complexes is also presented.