(3S,4R)-3,4-Dimethyl-(S)-glutamine, a common component of cyclodepsipeptides, papuamide A and callipeltin A, was stereoselectively prepared from (S)-pyroglutamic acid. The stereostructure of natural dimethylglutamine was unambiguously confirmed to be (2S,3S,4R) by comparison of the CD and NMR spectra of the synthetic 3,4-dimethylpyroglutamic acid with the hydrolysate of callipeltin A. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.