Nucleophilic substitution of the halogen atom in dimethyl (S) 4 bromoglutamate followed by removal of the protecting groups and closure of a lactam ring afforded (2S,4S) 4 (indolin 1 yl) 5 oxoproline. The indoline fragment was oxidized into the indole fragment to give (2S,4S) 4 (indol 1 yl) 5 oxoproline; reduction of the carbonyl groups with BH 3 yielded (2S,4S) 4 (indol 1 yl)prolines and (2S,4S) 2 hydroxymethyl 4 (indol 1 yl)pyrrolidines. Reduction of (2S,4S) 4 arylamino 5 oxoprolines with BH 3 to the corresponding (2S,4S) 4 arylaminoprolines and (2S,4S) 4 arylamino 2 hydroxymethylpyrrolidines was studied.(S) 5 Oxoproline (pyroglutamic acid) plays an impor tant role in metabolic processes occurring in living organ isms. The 5 oxoproline fragment is part of thyroliberin and other neuropeptides and peptide hormones. 1 4 Ami noproline and 4 amino 5 oxoproline derivatives, which are of special interest because they can be modified at the amino group and contain an additional chiral center, are used in organic synthesis as chiral building blocks, 2-6 also for the preparation of substituted prolinols (2 hydroxyme thylpyrrolidines) employed as catalysts in asymmetric syn thesis. 7,8 Some 4 aminoproline derivatives are known as metalloproteinase inhibitors 9 and antidiabetic agents. 10 When incorporated in a peptide chain, the 4 aminoproline fragment changes its conformation and hence biological activity. 11-13 trans 4 Aminoproline is a metabolite of the fungus Ascochyta caulina and exhibits herbicidal activi ty. 14 (2R,4R) 4 Amino 4 carboxyproline is a powerful and selective group II agonist of metabotropic glutamate re ceptors, which accounts for its anticonvulsant in vivo ef fect 15,16 and makes it promising for the treatment of neu rodegenerative diseases. 17 The goal of the present work was to develop a meth od for the synthesis of 5 oxoprolines, prolines, and 2 hydroxymethylpyrrolidines containing 4 arylamino or 4 indol 1 yl substituents, because the indole frag ment is known to be part of some physiologically ac tive compounds 18-20 and 4 (indol 1 yl) 5 oxoprolines and 4 (indol 1 yl)prolines have not been document ed hitherto. 4 (Indol 1 yl) 5 oxoproline derivatives were synthe sized from dimethyl (2S,4RS) 4 bromo N phthaloyl glutamate (1) 21 via nucleophilic substitution of the brom ine atom followed by removal of the protecting groups, closure of a lactam ring, and oxidation of the indoline fragment into an indole one.Reflux of bromide 1 with indoline in acetonitrile gave a mixture of diastereomers of dimethyl (2S,4RS) 4 (indol in 1 yl) N phthaloylglutamate (2a,b) (Scheme 1).The ratio of diastereomers 2a and 2b in the reaction mixture was 77 : 23 ( 1 H NMR and HPLC); i.e., the nucleophilic substitution of the Br atom from bromide 1 under the action of indoline is a stereoselective process, much the same as with other arylamines. 22-24 Diastereo mer 2a (de 97%) was isolated by twofold crystallization from methanol.To assign the diaminopentanedioic acid residue in dia stereomers 2a and 2b to the threo or erythro ...