5,10,15,20-Tetraaryl-21-vacataporphyrin, 1 (butadieneporphyrin, annulene-porphyrin hybrid), which contains a vacant space instead of heteroatomic bridge, gives diamagnetic zinc(II) 1-ZnCl and cadmium(II) 1-CdCl and paramagnetic nickel(II) 1-NiCl complexes, A metal ion is bound in the macrocyclic cavity by three pyrrolic nitrogens, Coordination imposes a steric constraint on the geometry of the ligand and leads to two stereoisomers with a butadiene fragment oriented toward 1-MCl-i or outward 1-MCl-o of the macrocyclic center. 1-CdCl-o, 1-ZnCl-o, and the free base share a common H-1 NMR spectral pattern as the basic structural features of 1 are preserved after metal ion insertion. The H-1 NMR spectra of 1-CdCl-i and 1-ZnCl-i reflect a decrease of aromaticity accounted for by the inverted butadiene geometry. The proximity of the butadiene fragment to the metal ion induces direct couplings between the spin-active nucleus of the metal (Cd-111/113) and the adjacent H-1 nuclei of butadiene. The pattern of chemical shifts detected for isomeric 1-NiCl-i and 1-NiCl-o is typical for high-spin nickel(II) complexes of porphyrin analogues. Resonances 2,3-H of 1-NiCl-o or 1-NiCl-i present the chemical shift typical for the beta-H pyrrolic position despite the vacancy in the location of nitrogen-21. Coordination of imidazole, methanol-d(4), acetonitrile-d(3), or chloride converts 1-NiCl-1 and 1-NiCl-o into distinct species which contain two axial ligands: 1-Ni(Im)(2)(+); 1-Ni(CD3OD)(2)(+); 1-Ni(CD3CN)(2)(+); 1-Ni(Cl)(2)(-). The density functional theory (DFT) has been applied to model the molecular and electronic structure of feasible 1-CdCl stereoisomers. The total energies calculated using the B3LYP/LANL2DZ approach demonstrate a very small energy difference (2.3 kcal/mol) between 1-CdCl-o and 1-CdCl-i stereoisomers consistent with their concurrent formation.