itro-5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrinato)nickel(II) reacts with alpha-i
socyanoacetic esters in the presence of DBU to give the first beta-fus
ed pyrroloporphyrins, the pyrrole ring in the fused system being shown
to undergo typical pyrrole-type chemistry; the corresponding zinc(II)
complex affords a novel cyclopropanochlorin (characterized by X-ray c
rystallography), when treated with an alpha-isocyanoacetic ester.