A convenient synthesis of 4-nitrobenzyl-substituted macrocyclic tetraamines and their conversion to bifunctional poly(amino carboxylate) chelating agents is described. Cyclization of (4-nitrobenzyl)-ethylenediamine with appropriate BOC-protected amino disuccinimido esters in dioxane at 90 degrees C resulted in the formation of 12- and 14-membered ring diamides in 40% and 44% yield, respectively. A 12-membered macrocyclic triamide was also prepared in 44% yield by cyclization of N-(2-aminoethyl)-4-nitrophenylalaninamide with disuccinimidyl N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)iminodiacetate. Deprotection (HCl/dioxane) and reduction with borane gave the substituted macrocyclic amines which were then alkylated with either bromoacetic acid or tert-butyl bromoacetate. Preparation of the isothiocyanate derivatives and 14C labeled chelating agents are described. Attempts to prepare a 9-membered macrocyclic diamide using this cyclization technique resulted instead in a 20% yield of a 10:1 mixture of isomeric fused 5,6 ring acylamidines. Deprotection (HCl/dioxane) and reduction with borane gave a substituted piperazine derivative in 55% yield.