There is current interest in the antiviral activity of metal, especially zinc, cyclam (1,4,8,11-tetriazacyclotetradecane) complexes. Their biological activity appears to be dependent on recognition of membrane proteins (viral coreceptors) and therefore on their configurations. Here, we use Cd(II) as a probe for Zn(II) on account of its useful NMR properties. We have prepared and characterized Cd(II) complexes of cyclam, Cd(cyclam)(CIO4)(2) (1), Cd(cyclam)Cl-2 Cl-2 (2), and [Cd-3(cyclam)(3)(CO3)](CIO4)(4).3H(2)O (3), and have identified key markers for various configurations adopted by these complexes under a variety of solution conditions using 1D and 2D H-1, C-13, N-15, and Cd-111 NMR spectroscopy, including Karplus-type analyses of H-1, H-1 and H-1, Cd-111 coupling constants. These complexos were stable at high pH (<8.2) but dissociated completely on lowering the pH to 5.3. Two major configurations of both 1 and 2 exist in aqueous solution: trans-I (R,S,R,S at nitrogen) and cis-V (R,R,R,R). (3)J(Cd-111, H-1) coupling constants showed that the five-membered rings of the trans-I configuration adopt the eclipsed conformation, and the six-membered rings adopt chair conformations. The X-ray crystal structure of 3 shows that the cation adopts the unusual folded cis-1 configuration in which all of the N-H bonds are oriented up (or down) in a novel tri-cadmium cluster. This complex contains triply bridged carbonate fixed from atmospheric CO2. Each Cd(II) is bound by two cis oxygen atoms from CO32- (Cd-O bond lengths 2.373 and 2.412 Angstrom) and four nitrogen atoms from cyclam (C-N bond lengths 2.270-2.323 Angstrom). The geometry can be described as trigonal bipyramidal with the two donor oxygen atoms occupying one of the apices of the in-plane triangle. In acetonitrile solution, complex 3 gives rise to only one configuration, trans-I, with eclipsed five-membered rings, and six-membered rings with chair conformations.