key reaction to prepare, in five steps from ethyl acetoacetate, an enantiomerically pure keto
protected β, β′-ketoaminoester. This latter was reacted with aldehydes in an intramolecular
Mannich process and furnished a direct and stereoselective access to substituted
homopipecolates. The validity of this approach was achieved through a new formal
asymmetric synthesis of alkaloid (+)-Calvine.