Ethyl 7-aryl-6,8-dioxo-2-oxa-3,7-diazabicyclo[3.3.0]oct-3-ene-4-carboxylates and ethyl 7-aryl-6,8-dioxo-1-oxa-2,7-diazaspiro[4.4]non-2-ene-3-carboxylates were selectively reduced with sodium tetrahydridoborate at the carbonyl group in the β-position with respect to the oxygen atom in the isoxazole ring. R = H (a), Me (b), Cl (c), Br (d).Hydroxy lactams are important as starting compounds in the synthesis of alkaloids and a number of other pharmacologically active compounds; they can be prepared by reduction of cyclic imides [1,2]. It is known that the reduction of unsymmetrical bicyclic and spirocyclic imides (obtained by reaction of substituted benzonitrile oxides with N-arylmaleimides [3] and N-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)itaconimide [4]) at low temperature in the presence of Mg(ClO 4 ) 2 involves mainly the carbonyl group in the β-position with respect to the oxygen atom in the isoxazole ring.We examined the reduction with sodium tetrahydridoborate of ethyl 7-aryl-6,8-dioxo-2-oxa-3,7-diazabicyclo[3.3.0]oct-3-ene-4-carboxylates Ia-Id and 7-aryl-6,8-dioxo-1-oxa-2,7-diazaspiro[4.4]non-2-ene-3-carboxylates IIa-IId which were synthesized by thermolysis of the corresponding substituted bicyclic and spirocyclic N-nitrosodihydropyrazoles [5,6]. The reduction was carried out in methylene chlorideethanol at -80 to -90°C. Compounds Ia an Ib were reduced with NaBH 4 at the carbonyl group in the pyrrolidine ring in the β-position with respect to the oxygen atom in the dihydroisoxazole ring, and the products were mixtures of diastereoisomers III and IVa (Scheme 1) whose yield and ratio depended on the reaction conditions (see table). Diastereoisomers IIIa