Amino acid anions (AAO Ϫ ) chelated to cobalt() in [(en) 2 Co(AAO)](O 3 SCF 3 ) 2 (AA = Gly, Sar, Ala and Glu) were selectively oxidized to their imine derivatives by a new general procedure utilizing PBr 3 and N-bromosuccinimide in dmf. The new iminoacetato complexes, Λand ∆-[(en) 2 Co(O 2 CCH᎐ ᎐ NH)](O 3 SCF 3 ) 2 , constitute chiral glycine equivalents which can serve as synthons for stereoselective α-amino acid synthesis. In alkaline EtOH, quantitative addition of CH 2 (COMe) 2 , CH 2 (CO 2 Et) 2 or MeCOCH 2 CO 2 Et to the imine of the iminoacetate ligand initially produced both diastereomers of the product α-amino acid cobalt() complexes. However, subsequent crystallizationinduced asymmetric transformations in the heterogeneous reaction mixtures led to better than 90% excess of a single diastereomer after five days, and the diastereopure product triflate salts were obtained after recrystallization. Both enantiomers of isotopically substituted (3-13 C, 98%)aspartic acid were produced by facile synthesis from ∆-[(en) 2 Co(O 2 CCH᎐ ᎐ NH)](O 3 SCF 3 ) 2 and diethyl (2-13 C)malonate. The new N-methyliminoacetato complex, rac-[(en) 2 Co(O 2 CCH᎐ ᎐ NMe)](O 3 SCF 3 ) 2 , also yielded to imine addition reactions providing a route to the α-N-methylamino acid subclass. The molecular structures of the new imine complexes, Λ-(ϩ) 578 -[(en) 2 Co(O 2 CCH᎐ ᎐ NH)]Br 2 ؒH 2 O and rac-[(en) 2 Co(O 2 CCH᎐ ᎐ NMe)]S 2 O 6 ؒ1.5H 2 O, and the diethyl carboxy-aspartate addition product, (ΛS,∆R)-[(en) 2 Co{O 2 CCH(CH(CO 2 Et) 2 )NH 2 }](ClO 4 ) 2 , were determined by X-ray crystallography.