Reaction of the N-(α-chloroalkyloxycarbonyl)pyrrolidines 1 with lithium powder and a catalytic amount of 4,4′-di-tert-butylbiphenyl (DTBB, 2.5 mol-%) in the presence of different electrophiles [iBuCHO, tBuCHO, PhCHO, Et2CO, (CH2)5CO, PhCOMe, Ph2CO, Me3SiCl], in THF at temperatures ranging between –78 and –60°C leads, after hydrolysis with water, to the expected functionalized carbamates 2. Deprotection