The synthesis of the three ligands employed in this study is based on the condensation of two molar equivalents of (S)-valinol with the diester precursors pyrrole-2,5-bis(ethyl)acetate (2a), furan-2,5-bis(ethyl)acetate (2b) and thiophene-2,5-bis(ethyl)acetate (2c). This gave the corresponding bis(oxazolinylmethyl)pyrrole (iPrL N H, 4a), bis(oxazolinylmethyl)-furan (iPrL O , 4b) and bis(oxazolinylmethyl)thiophene (iPrL S , 4c) ligands. Stirring 4a in MeOD at ambient temperature in the presence of a catalytic amount of acetic acid (1 mol-%) led to complete hydrogen/deuterium exchange in the two bridging methylene groups of the ligand. This behaviour is explained by an acetate-mediated reversible proton transfer between the oxazoline N atom and the methylene bridge, a conjecture which was supported by a DFT study of the process. Deprotonation of iPrL N H (4a) with tBuLi at -78°C and subsequent stirring with NiCl 2 yielded the square planar nickel(II) complex [Ni(iPrL N )Cl] (5). However, on stirring