The complexes [Cu(L)(H2O)](ClO4)2·2H2O (I) and [Zn(L)Cl2]·C2H5OH (II), where L is the macrocyclic substituted aza-14-crown-4 ether molecule containing di(α-pyridyl)bispidine insert, were synthesized and studied by X-ray diffraction. The Cu atoms in complex I and the Zn atoms in complex II have equal coordination numbers of 5 and different highly distorted polyhedra (the CuN4O tetragonal pyramid and ZnN3Cl2 trigonal bipyramid). Ligand L in structure I performs the tetradentate tetrachelate (4N) structural function and in II, it performs the tridentate bis-chelate (3N) function. The key difference between the structures of complexes I and II is determined by different conformations of both the aza-macrocycles and bispidine substituents of ligand L. © Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2014. © V.I. Sokol, V.B. Kvartalov, N.M. Kolyadina, V.S. Sergienko, A.T. Soldatenkov, V.V. Davydov, G.M. Drogova, 2014.