Ethyl malonyl chloride was used in the synthesis of: . liquid-crystalline methanofullerodendrimers; . 3,5-disubstituted 1,2,4-oxadiazole derivatives, which are potential peptidomimetic building blocks; . 3-pyrrolin-2-ones via amidation with propargylamines and subsequent base catalyzed 5-exo-dig cyclization