Ready access to constrained, multifunctionalized, hydrolytically stable amino acids has been established by the synthesis of their direct precursors using 2,5-anhydro-3-azido-3-deoxy-D-altrose (a 'formyl azido-C-glycofuranoside'), or its readily available, stable synthetic equivalent [(1R) and (1S)-2,5-anhydro-3-azido-4,6-O-benzylidene-3-deoxy-1-fluoro-1-O-methyl-D-altritol], as novel molecular scaffolds. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.