Twenty‐four new N‐[(4‐phenylpiperazin‐1‐yl)‐methyl] derivatives of 3,3‐diphenyl‐ (7–18) and 3‐ethyl‐3‐methyl‐pyrrolidine‐2,5‐dione (19–30) were synthesized and evaluated for their anticonvulsant activity in the maximum electroshock (MES) and subcutaneous pentylenetetrazole (scPTZ) seizure tests. The acute neurological toxicity was determined using the rotorod screen. Eleven compounds were active and