SHORT COMMUNICATIONSWe previously reported on three-component spiro heterocyclization of isatin with malononitrile and 5,5-dimethylcyclohexane-1,3-dione (dimedone), which led to the formation of 2′-aminospiro[indole-3,4′-pyran]-2(1H)-ones [1]. We now describe the three-component reaction of 1-substituted ethyl 4,5-dioxo-2-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxylates Ia and Ib with malononitrile and dimedone. The reaction was carried out by heating equimolar amounts of the reactants in boiling anhydrous benzene in the presence of triethylamine (reaction time 1.5-2 h; TLC monitoring), and the products were the corresponding ethyl 2-amino-7,7-dimethyl-2′,5-dioxo-5′-phenyl-3-cyano-1′,2′,5,6,7,8-hexahydrospiro[chromene-4,3′-pyrrole]-4′-carboxylates IIa and IIb whose structure was confirmed by X-ray analysis.Presumably, in the first step condensation of pyrrolediones Ia and Ib at the ketone carbonyl group with activated methylene group in malononitrile gives dicyanomethylidene derivatives III. Next follows R = PhCH 2 (a), Ph (b).