Three peroxomalanese(III) complexes [Mn-III(O-2)(mL(5)(2))](+), [Mn-III(O-2)(imL(5)(2))](+), and [Mn-III(O-2)(N4py)](+) supported by pentadentate ligands (mL(5)(2) = N-methyl-N,N',N'-tris(2-pyridylmethyl)ethane-1,2-diamine, imL(5)(2) = N-methyl-N, N',N'-tris((1-methyl-4-imidazolyl)methyl)ethane-1,2-diamine, and N4py = N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-N-bis(2-pyridyl)methylamine) were generated by treating Mn(II) precursors with H2O2 or KO2. Electronic absorption, magnetic circular dichroism (MCD), and variable-temperature, variable-field MCD data demonstrate that these complexes have very similar electronic transition energies and ground-state zero-field splitting parameters, indicative of nearly identical coordination geometries. Because of uncertainty in peroxo (side-on eta(2) versus end-on eta(1)) and ligand (pentadentate versus tetradentate) binding modes, density functional theory (DFT) computations were used to distinguish between three possible structures: pentadentate ligand binding with (i) a side-on peroxo and (ii) an end-on peroxo, and (iii) tetradentate ligand binding with a side-on peroxo. Regardless of the supporting ligand, isomers with a side-on peroxo and the supporting ligand bound in a tetradentate fashion were identified as most stable by >20 kcal/mol. Spectroscopic parameters computed by time-dependent (TD) DFT and multireference SORCI methods provided validation of these isomers on the basis of experimental data. Hexacoordination is thus strongly preferred for peroxomanganese(III) adducts, and dissociation of a pyridine (mL(5)(2) and N4py) or imidazole (imL(5)(2)) arm is thermodynamically favored. In contrast, DFT computations for models of [Fe-III(O-2)(mL(5)(2))](+) demonstrate that pyridine dissociation is not favorable; instead a seven-coordinate ferric center is preferred. These different results are attributed to the electronic configurations of the metal centers (high spin d(5) and d(4) for Fe-III and Mn-III, respectively), which results in population of a metal-peroxo sigma-antibonding molecular orbital and, consequently, longer M-O-peroxo bonds for peroxoiron(III) species.