Dimeric platinum complexes, [Pt(RNH2)I2]2 (Where R = H, methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, and cyclohexyl), have been synthesized by reactions of diiodoplatinum compounds with perchloric acid in water/ethanol solutions. The dimerization varies from several hours to a few days depending upon the length of the carbon chain in the alkylamines and the process can be conveniently monitored by Pt-195 NMR spectroscopy. All these dimers exhibit two closely separated resonances around -4000 ppm (vs K2PtCl4 at -1620 ppm) in dimethylformamide. Reactions of [Pt(NH3)I2]2 with alkylamines do not yield the desired mixed ammine/amine complexes, which are obtained subsequently by treatment of the alkylamine dimer [Pt(RNH2)I2]2 with ammonium hydroxide in water. By using this latter procedure, a novel class of ammine/amine platinum complexes of the type PtII(NH3)(RNH2)Cl2, PtIV(NH3)(RNH2)X2A2, and PtIV(NH3)(RNH2)(CBDCA)A2 . H2O, where X2 = chloro or 1,1-cyclobutanedicarboxylato (CBDCA), A = OH, Cl, or OCOCH3, have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, infrared, and Pt-195 NMR spectroscopic techniques. The alicyclic ammine/amine Pt(II) complexes, where R is C3-C6 were selected as representative of the class to undergo antitumor evaluations. The compounds had excellent activity against murine leukemic L1210/0 cells with cyclobutylamine-, cyclopentylamine- and cyclohexylamine-containing complexes demonstrating cytotoxicity superior to that of the clinically established cisplatin.