Speciation studies in aqueous solution on the interaction of Cu and Zn with a series of polyaminic ligands N-naphthalen-1-ylmethyl-N′-{2-[(naphthalen-1-ylmethyl)-amino]-ethyl}-ethane-1,2-diamine (Ll), N-naphthalen-1-ylmethyl-N′-(2-{2-[(naphthalen-1-ylmethyl)-amino]-ethylamino}-ethyl)-ethane-1,2-diamine (L2) and N-naphthalen-1-ylmethyl-N′-[2-(2-{2-[(naphthalen-1-ylmethyl)-amino]-ethylamino}-ethylamino)-ethyl]-ethane-1,2-diamine (L3) containing two naphthylmethyl groups at their termini and N -(2-{2-[(naphthalen-1-ylmethyl)-amino]-ethylamino}-ethyl)-ethane-1,2-diamine (L4) containing just one naphthylmethyl group have been carried out at 298.1 K in 0.15 mol dm NaCl. In the case of the tetraamines L2 and L4, their coordination capabilities towards Cd, Ni, Co and Pb have also been considered. The stability constants follow the general Irving-Williams sequence. The steady-state fluorescence emission studies on the interaction with metal ions show that while Cu produces a chelation enhancement of the quenching (CHEQ), the interaction with Zn leads to a chelation enhancement of the fluorescence (CHEF). Finally, ligands L1, L2 and L3 have been successfully covalently attached to silica surfaces and some preliminary results of their emissive properties are given.