NMR, potentiometric, and UVjVIS measurements were run to study the protonation and the In3+ and Cu2+ stability constants of 1,4,7,1O-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7-triacetic acid (do3a, L). The protonation of do3a follows the typical scheme with two high and several low log KH values. Between pH 11 and 13, the protonation mainly occurs at the N-atom, which is not substituted by an acetate side chain. The In3+ complex is not appreciably protonated even at low pH values (pH -1.7), whereas [CuL] can add up to three protons in acidic solution to give the species [CuLH], [CuLH2], and [CuLH,], the stability of which was determined. The formation rates of the Y3+, Gd3+, Ga3+, and In3+ complexes with do3a were measured using a pH-stat technique, whereas that of Cu2+, being faster, was followed on a stopped-flow spectrophotometer. In all cases, the reaction scheme implies the rapid formation of partially protonated intermediates, which rearrange themselves to the final product in the rate-determining process. Introduction. -The field of macrocyclic complexes has gone through a rapid expansion in different directions. One of these has been the functionalization, achieved by the introduction of side chains carrying a donor group, which can act as an additional ligand for the metal ion. These compounds show interesting properties with respect to their complexation ability, selectivity, coordination geometry, and have potential applications [2]. Some of them are among the strongest chelators known, thus making them useful for medical applications, for which kinetical inertness and thermodynamical stability are of paramount importance. So, applications of macrocyclic metal complexes as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) [3] and for labelling monoclonal antibodies have been described [4].The Gd3+ complexes of dota ( = 1,4,7,10-tetraazdcyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid) and of dtpa (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid) are two of the MRI contrast agents already in use [5]. To obtain new, stable, and nonionic Gd"' chelates, Tweed2 and