Homobinuclear metal chelate complexes having 1,4-dihydroxy-9,10-anthracenedione (quinizarin) as a bridging unit have been prepared with four bivalent first row transition elements, namely cobalt, nickel, copper, and zinc. The coordination spheres of the metal ions consist of two nearly equivalent six-membered rings with oxygen donor atoms derived from the quinizarin and the terminal ligands which are either β-diketones or salicylic aldehyde. TG, spectroscopic (ir, uv–vis, epr), and magnetic measurements have been applied to an investigation of the geometry adopted by the MO4 chromophores. The results are consistent with varying degrees of distortion from the ideal square planar toward a tetrahedral arrangement around the metal ions, closely related to the specific metal center involved.