Abstract Cyclic and acyclicligands containing the hydroxypyridinone (HOPO) moiety as donor group are known as strong coordinating compounds for a wide variety of metal ions. Based on the diaza-crown[18]ether Kryptofix K22, five different tendentate ligands were prepared using 1,2-HOPO, 1,2,3-HOPO and 2,3-Me-HOPO as additional binding moieties. The diaza-crown ether basic skeleton was furnished with