During last two decades, a growing number of papers dealing with fluorine-containing amino acids have demonstrated the usefulness of these amino acids in the design of novel biologically active compounds as well as in the study of the biological chemistry. 2 A large number of fluoroamino acids have been synthesizzcl and some of them are nowadays used as chemotherapeutic agents. 3 In recent years the design of new typies of fluorine-containing amino acids has amacted particular attention. The rapidly increasing interest in new fluoroamino acids is caused not only by curiosity in their potential biological activity but also by their apparent importance as conformational modifiers in the &sign of physiologically active peptide~.~ Having started new research project on stereoselective synthesis of fluorine-containing amino acids by means of homogeneous catalysis we zport hexein our preliminary results toward synthesis of fluorinated analogs of p-hydroxy-a-amine acids, which am of considerable current interesk5 Aldol reaction bctwetn carbonyl compounds and derivatives of isocyanoacetic acid has been continuously demonstrated to be of fundamental importance in the construction of p-hydroxy-a-amino acids' framework.6 While the old-fashioned version of this reaction, with alkaline metal derived base as a catalyst, has found wide application, relatively little attention has heen paid until recently to the more sophisticated variant using homogeneous catalysis by transition metals. Studies primarily by Y. Ito have &fined many of the key parameters of the copper-catalyzed reaction' and several elegant synthetic applications have appeared.* Scheme 1 AGO-~ + CNCH&QMe Cat. 4 l&h 2 CJCH2CH2Ci. 25 OC tlans-4a-h ciHa-h 1) cone HCVMeOH 2) PhCOWNE~ a b c d e t 0 h Ar CeHs QFs Ws W-k 4-MeCXkH4 4-CF&eH4 C&H5 QHs Rt Me CF3 kh CF3 CF3 CF3 CClF2 Ws cis-5