Am. Chem. SOC., 86,3364 (1964).(IO) in order to exist as stable. separable, cis and trans conformers, a substituent(s). able to markedly inhibit the rate of inversion or provide a steric barrier to the process, would be required. However, no such substituent is known.The synthesis and some anomalous reactions of the title compound (4) are discussed. Treatment of 4 with hydroxylamine caused oxazoline ring opening to form the amidoxime 5. When the diester 4 was saponified, the 0benzoyl zwitterion 6 crystallized from solution in excellent yield. The structure of 6 was secured by its rearrangement into DL-threo-Nbenzoyl-P-hydroxyaspartic acid (10) and its conversion into DL-threo-P-hydroxyaspartic acid dimethyl ester, In contrast, the oxazoline ring in monoester 2 (R = H; R' = CHS) is stable to both hydroxylamine and alkali.