A series of tetranuclear metal complexes of grid-type consisting of four bis-tridentate ligands and four divalent transition metal ions were synthesized and characterized. The 1H NMR spectra of diamagnetic complexes containing Zn(II), Cd(II), Fe(II), and Ru(II) was correlated to the radius of the metal ion. The UVvis and electrochemical results indicated that the bridging ligand π* orbital and the dπ metal orbital are stabilized by complexation of more than one metal ion. Furthermore, the Co(II) and Fe(II) grids exhibit metalmetal interaction mediated by the bis-tridentate ligands as indicated by electrochemical and spectroscopic methods. These results provide guidelines for the design of larger grids bearing several metal centres in a square arrangement, which also represent potential components of molecular electronic devices.Key words: complexes with nitrogen ligands, octahedral metal ions, self-assembly, supramolecular chemistry.