of azomethineylides and aldehydes is explored, as hydrolysis of the resulting oxazolidine product gives facile access to valuable syn-β-aryl-β-hydroxy-α-amino esters. The use of using benzaldehyde-derived imines as the ylide precursor results in 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition with high conversions but low diastereoselectivity. In contrast, the employment of benzophenone-derived imines as the ylide precursor