The potentially tridentate ligand 2-(8-aminoquinolino)-4,6-di-tert-butylphenol, H[1LAP], has been synthesized and its coordination chemistry with Mn(IV), Fe(III), and Co(III) has been investigated by X-ray crystallography, electro- and magnetochemistry, electronic, Mossbauer and EPR spectroscopies. The following complexes have been prepared [MnIV(1LAP-H)2](1), St=3/2; [MnIV(1LAP-H)(1LISQ)](PF6).CH2Cl2 (2), St= 1; [FeIII(1LISQ)2](ClO4).0.5H2O (3), St=1/2; [FeIII(1LISQ)(3,5-dtcat)]2 (4), St= 0; K[CoII(1LISQ)(1LIBQ)](NCS)2 (5), St= 1; [CoIII2(NCS)2(1LAP-H)2(AQ)] (6), St=0, where (1LAP-H)2- corresponds to the o-iminophenolate(2-) dianion, (1LISQ)- is the o-iminobenzosemiquinonate(1-) pi radical derivative of the ligand H[1LAP], (1LIBQ)0 is the neutral iminobenzoquinone ligand, and 3,5-dtcat is 3,5-di-tert-butylcatecholate(2-) and N,N-coordinated (AQ) is 8-aminoquinoline. It is shown that the pi radical anions in 2, 3, 4 couple antiferromagnetically to the respective paramagnetic metal ion. Complex 4 is a dinuclear neutral complex with weak antiferromagnetic coupling between two [FeIII1LISQ)(3,5-dtcat)] halves. The asymmetrically ligated complex 6 contains two bridging (1LAP-H)2- ligands and two diamagnetic CoIII ions. In contrast, 5 is correctly described as [CoII(1LISQ)(1LIBQ)]+ rather than [CoIII(1LISQ)2]+ since it possesses a temperature-independent magnetic moment of mueff(10-298 K)= 3.0 muB indicating an St=1 ground state which is attained via strong antiferromagnetic coupling (|J> or =200 cm(-1)) between a high spin cobalt(II) ion (SCo=3/2) and a single pi radical anion (Srad=1/2).