The present invention provides certain non-symmetric tripyrranes; that is, tripyrranes that do not contain a mirror plane of symmetry perpendicular to the plane containing the tripyrrane. Further, the invention includes texaphyrin compounds and sapphyrin compounds, as well as other polypyrrolic macrocycles, prepared using tripyrranes of Formula I as a precursor. These macrocycles are characterized by a tripyrrolic portion of the macrocyclic ring having substituents that cause the heterocycle to lack a plane of symmetry perpendicular to the plane of the macrocycle.