New double-armed benzo-15-crown-5 compound (L) was successfully synthesized from 4',5'-bis(bromethyl)benzo-15crown-5 with 2,2'-dipyridylamine. The synthesized host molecule (L), the dipyridylamine unit was able to coordinate Ni 2+ , Cu 2+ and Ag + metal cations, whereas the crown ether moiety bound with the alkali metal cations (Na + and K + ). The structures of the ligand (L), alkali metal complexes (NaL and KL 2 ) and transition metal complexes ([NiLOAc], [CuLOAc] and [AgLNO 3 ]) were characterized by spectroscopic methods. NMR and mass data provided exact evidence of complex formation through both coordination centers of the new ligand (L). Both parts (dipyridyl and crown ether) were linked to form a potential fluorescent-sensing compound (L) for metal cations. Therefore, to investigate the metal selectivity, different metal cations