A new series of lariat ethers and double-armed crown ethers was prepared in which oligopyridine-functionalized side arms were attached as secondary donor sites. A novel preparative method of oligopyridine derivatives was successfully applied to the synthesis of these crown ethers. Introduction of an oligopyridine-functionalized side arm into the crown ether system, if of the proper chain length and geometrical arrangement, significantly offered three-dimensional complexation with various metal cations suitable for extraction and transport. Liquid-liquid extraction, C-13-NMR binding, and liquid membrane transport experiments revealed that the present type of double-armed crown ethers exhibited cation-binding abilities superior to corresponding lariat ethers.