The protonation constants (K i H ) of 3,6,9,15-tetraazabicyclo[9.3.1]pentadeca-1(15),11,13-triene-3,6,9,-triacetic acid (PCTA) and stability constants of complexes formed between this pyridine containing macrocycle and several different metal ions have been determined in 1.0 M KCl, 25°C and compared to previous literature values. The first protonation constant was found to be 0.5-0.6 log units higher than the value reported previously and a total five protonation steps were detected (log K i H = 11.36, 7.35, 3.83, 2.12 and 1.29). The stability constants of complexes formed between PCTA and Mg 2+ , Ca 2+ , Cu 2+ and Zn 2+ were also somewhat higher than those previously reported but this difference could be largely attributed to the higher first protonation constant of the ligand. Stability constants of complexes formed between PCTA and the Ln 3+ series of ions and Y 3+ were determined by using an "out-of-cell" potentiometric method. These values ranged from log K = 18.15 for Ce(PCTA) to log K = 20.63 for Yb(PCTA), increasing along the lanthanide series in proportion to decreasing Ln 3+ cation size. The rates of complex formation for Ce(PCTA), Eu(PCTA), Y(PCTA) and Yb(PCTA) were followed by conventional UV-VIS spectroscopy in the pH range pH=3.5 -4.4. First order rate constants (saturation kinetics) obtained for different ligand / metal ion ratios were consistent with rapid formation of a diprotonated intermediate, Ln(H 2 PCTA) 2+ . The stabilities of the intermediates as determined from the kinetic data were 2.81, 3.12, 2.97 and 2.69 log K units for Ce(H 2 PCTA), Eu(H 2 PCTA), Y(H 2 PCTA) and Yb(H 2 PCTA), respectively. Rearrangement of these intermediates to the fully chelated complexes was the rate determining step and the rate constant (k r ) for this process was found to be inversely proportional to the proton concentration. The formation rates (k OH ) increased with a decrease in lanthanide ion size (9.68×10 7 M -1 s -1 , 1.74×10 8 M -1 s -1 , 1.13×10 8 M -1 s -1 and 1.11×10 9 M -1 s -1 for Ce(PCTA), Eu(PCTA), Y(PCTA) and Yb(PCTA), respectively). These data indicate that the Ln(PCTA) complexes exhibit the fastest formation rates among all lanthanide macrocyclic ligand complexes studied to date. The acid catalyzed dissociation rates (k 1 ) varied with cation from 9.61×10 -4 M -1 s -1 , 5.08×10 -4 M -1 s -1 , 1.07×10 -3 M -1 s -1 and 2.80×10 -4 M -1 s -1 for Ce(PCTA), Eu(PCTA), Y(PCTA) and Yb(PCTA), respectively.