Addition of Schiff bases derived from amino acid esters to appropriate vinylphosphoryl compounds, followed by hydrolysis of the adducts formed gives a series of new a-alkylated phosphorus-containing a-aminocarboxylic acids, viz. phosphonic and phosphinic analogs of glutamic acid.Synthesis of phosphoryl analogs of natural amino acids and peptides represents a prospective route to potential physiologically active compounds [237]. Substitution of the carbonyl group in a natural amino acid molecule by phosphoryl leads to aminophosphonic acids [234]. The key step in constructing aminophosphinic acid analogs of peptides involves substitution of the amide fragment C(O)NH by methylenephosphoryl CH 2 P(O) [537].Phosphorus-containing aminocarboxylic acids of general formula I possess diverse biological activity. Phosphonic analogs (X = Y = OH), such as 2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid (n = 2), and glutamic acid gomologs, such as 2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric (n = 3) and 2-amino-7-phosphonoheptanoic (n = 5) acids, are known as potent neuroprotectors [234].The modification of the carbon chain in [canonical] molecule I, including the synthesis of unsaturated analogs [8,9] and the introduction of aromatic [10,11], pyperidine [12], and piperazine [13,14] fragments, gave compounds with a high antispasmodic activity. Phosphinothricin, 2-amino-4-(methylphosphino)butyric acid (X = Me, Y = OH), the best phosphinic analog of glutamic acid, is glutaminsynthetase inhibitor and a highly active low-toxicity herbicide [15317]. Glutamic acid analogs and homologs bearing a phosphine oxide fragment have also been described [18]. Modification of the phosphorus-containing fragment and hydrocarbon chain in [canonical] ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 1 For communication XIII, see [1].molecule I is the most studied approach to constructing new phosphorus-containing aminocarboxylic acids [8320]. Over the past years, the physiologic activity of a-substituted phosphorus-containing a-aminocarboxylic acids, specifically a-methyl-4-phosphonophenylglycine and 2-amino-2-methyl-4-phosphonobutyric acids, as selective antagonists of metabotropic glutamate receptors has been reported [21323]. In this respect, modification of the aminocarboxylic fragment in molecule I can open up a prospective route in searching for new agonists and antagonists of metabotropic glutamate receptors, as well as potential inhibitors of natural enzymes in the series of phosphorus-containing aminocarboxylic acids [24326].This work is devoted to the synthesis of new wphosphorylated a-alkyl-a-aminocarboxylic acids II (Scheme 1) along Scheme 2. Phosphonic glutamic acid analogs IIb3IId are homologs of 2-amino-2-methyl-4-phosphonobutyric acid (IIa), and, therefore, they offer interest as potential antagonists and agonists of metabotropic glutamate receptors [21325]. Aminophosphonic acids with a hydroxycarbonylethyl fragment [IIf3IIh, X = OH, Y = CH 2 CH 2 C(O)OH] are phosphinic analogs of a-substituted g-glutamylglycines [6,7]. In this case, the role of pseudoglycine belongs to the propionic fragment, while...