Practical asymmetric preparation of azetidine-2-carboxylic acid.

[reaction: see text] Facile and straightforward syntheses of both enantiomers of azetidine-2-carboxylic acid are described. The syntheses depart from inexpensive chemicals and allow for the production, in five to six steps, of practical quantities of each enantiomer. Synthetic highlights include the construction of the azetidine ring using an intramolecular alkylation and the use of optically active alpha-methylbenzylamine as chiral auxiliary.