Macrocyclic dicopper(II) complexes derived from 2,6-di(R)formylphenols and various linking diamines are surveyed and their magnetic and structural properties assessed. For those systems with "flat" dinuclear centers and no electronic perturbations associated with electron-withdrawing ligands or ligand groups, the complexes exhibit a "straight-line" relationship between exchange integral and phenoxide bridge angle. Within the angle range 98.8-104.7 degrees, 11 complexes are included with -2J in the range 689-902 cm(-)(1). When electron-withdrawing species are present, either as ligands or as groups bound to the macrocycle itself, considerable suppression of the antiferromagnetic exchange component is observed. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies are reported for three complexes. [Cu(2)(L1)(H(2)O)(2)]F(2)(CH(3)OH)(2) (1) crystallized in the triclinic system, space group P&onemacr;, with a = 8.1878(5) Å, b = 9.0346(7) Å, c = 10.4048(7) Å, alpha = 103.672(6) degrees, beta = 101.163(5) degrees, gamma = 104.017(5) degrees, and Z = 1. [Cu(2)(L2)Cl(2)] [Cu(2)(L2) (H(2)O)(2)]Cl(ClO(4)).5.5H(2)O (2) crystallized in the monoclinic system, space group P2(1)/n, with a = 14.4305(5) Å, b = 24.3149(8) Å, c = 18.6584(8) Å, beta = 111.282(3) degrees, and Z = 4. [Cu(2)(L3)(H(2)O)(2)](BF(4))(2) (3) crystallized in the triclinic system, space group P&onemacr;, with a = 8.6127(4) Å, b = 8.6321(7) Å, c = 10.8430(10) Å, a = 74.390(10) degrees, beta = 86.050(10) degrees, gamma = 76.350(10) degrees, and Z = 2. Square pyramidal copper ion stereochemistries are observed in all cases, with axially coordinated halogens or water molecules. Strong antiferromagnetic exchange is observed for all complexes (-2J = 784(8) cm(-)(1), Cu-O-Cu 103.65(10) degrees (1); -2J = 801(11) cm(-)(1), Cu-O-Cu 102.4(3), 107.5(3), 102.9(3), 106.1(3) degrees (2); -2J = 689(3) cm(-)(1), Cu-O-Cu 98.8(4) degrees (3)). The presence of electron-withdrawing CN groups on the periphery of the macrocyclic ligand leads to substantially reduced antiferromagnetic exchange.