Active methylene compounds which have two electron-withdrawing groups, such as ethyl 2-cyanoacetate, 3-oxobutanenitrile, cyclohexane-1,3-dione, malononitrile, pentane-2,4-dione, and ethyl acetoacetate, react regioselectively with antiaromatic norcorrolatonickel(II) in THF at room temperature in the presence of Cs2CO3 yielding new types of norcorrole derivatives retaining the spectral, magnetic, and redox properties of the starting macrocycle.
