A quinoline-based heptadentate ligand, N,N,N,N'-tetrakis(2-quinolylmethyl)-3-oxa-1,5-pentanediamine (TQOPEN), exhibits a fluorescence increase (I-Cd/I-0 = 25, phi(Cd) = 0.017) at 428 nm upon addition of 1 equiv of Cd2+. In contrast, 1 equiv of Zn2+ induces a negligible fluorescence change due to weak interaction (I-zn/I-0 = 2.5, I-zn/I-Cd = 10%). In comparison with TQOPEN, the thia and aza derivatives TQSPEN and TQNPEN exhibit improved Cd2+/Zn2+ selectivity and higher Cd2+-binding affinity, respectively. The solid-state structures of mononuclear Cd2+ and hydroxide-bridged dinuclear Zn2+ complexes of TQOPEN were elucidated by X-ray crystallography. Although the crystal structure of the TQOPEN-Cd2+ complex exhibits a six-coordinate metal center, in which one quinoline weakly interacts with the Cd center (Cd...N-quinoline = 3.303(3) (A) over circle), a H-1 NMR study at 233 K suggests that all quinolines interact with the Cd center to form a symmetrical seven-coordinate structure in solution. Theoretical calculations (TDDFT) support the flexible coordination environment around the Cd center, leading to intramolecular excimer formation with two quinoline moieties in the excited state. The importance of a heptadentate structure was further demonstrated by the lack of Cd2+ specificity with hexadentate ligands TriQOPEN (N,N,N'-tris(2-quinolylmethyl)-3-oxa-1,5-pentanediamine) and TQCPEN (N,N,N',N'-tetrakis(2-quinolylmethyl)-1,5-pentanediamine).