Abstract: Evaluation of the binding interactions between a template (such as a carbohydrate) and a functional monomer (such as a metal complex) is one of the key steps during the design of molecularly imprinted polymers. Since we are interested in the development of carbohydrate-imprinted polymers as functional enzyme mimics, we have evaluated the binding interactions of several carbohydrates with [(diethylenetriamine)copper(II)] dinitrate (1), [ N- {(2- hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine}copper(II)] dichloride (8), and [{4-(N-vinylbenzyl)-diethylenetriamine}copper(II)] diformate (13) in aqueous solution. The binding sites of epimeric carbohydrates in complex formation with different copper(II) complexes have been investigated for the first time. The ternary ligand-copper(II)-carbohydrate complexes produced have been characterized by determination of their stoichiometry and their binding strength, by UV/Vis spectroscopy at alkaline pH