Abstract Opticallyactive 4-substituted γ-lactones (3 and 4) were synthesized effectively using lipase-catalyzed opticalresolution. N-methyl-4-hydroxyalkanamides (rac-1a–i) as substrates were prepared from N-methylsuccinimide. The alkylation of N-methylsuccinimide using Grignard reagents generated from various alkyl halides followed by reduction resulted in N-methyl-4-hydroxyalkanamides. The optical resolution