The 2-acylcycloalkanones 1a ± g and 3a ± c, possessing a polyfluoroalkyl group, react with hydroxylamine regio-and stereoselectively to yield 4,5-dihydroisoxazol-5-ols 2a ± g and 4a ± c, respectively, i.e., products of Naddition to the oxo group at the cycloalkane ring (Schemes 1 and 2). The products 2 and 4 can be dehydrated under drastic conditions only (Schemes 3 and 4). The structure of one of the 4,5-dihydroisoxazol-5-ols was confirmed by X-ray crystal-structure analysis.Introduction. ± The interaction of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds with hydroxylamine is considered to be one of the basic synthetic routes to isoxazole derivatives [1], which possess significant chemical potential [1] [2], as well as various biological activities [3].For a nonsymmetrical 1,3-dicarbonyl substrate in this reaction, the formation of regioisomers is possible. Thus, in the case of 2-acetylcyclohexanone, a mixture of isomeric 3-methyl-and 5-methylisoxazoles was obtained [4] [5]. The introduction of a polyfluorinated substituent in the 1,3-dicarbonyl compound results in a significant change of the electron-density distribution and consequently in a change of relative reactivity of the two carbonyl groups. The reaction of linear polyfluoroalkyl 1,3-diketones with hydroxylamine occurs unambigously affording 4,5-dihydro-5-(polyfluoroalkyl)isoxazol-5-ols exclusively ± an intermediate step in the 5-(polyfluoroalkyl)isoxazole formation. The dihydroisoxazolols represent stable compounds that may be dehydrated to the corresponding isoxazoles under drastic conditions only [6 ± 8]. Moreover, 2-(trifluoroacetyl)-and 2-(polychloroacetyl)-substituted cyclohexanones [5], triterpen-3-ones [9], and homoadamantanone [10] are known to give 4,5-dihydro-5-R Hal -isoxazol-5-ols, 5-(trifluoromethyl)isoxazoles, or 3-(trifluoromethyl)isoxazoles in the reaction with hydroxylamine, depending on the size of the carbocyclic ring in the 1,3-diketone molecule and on the reaction conditions.Among the 2-acyl-substituted cycloalkanones, the cyclopentanone derivatives represent a special case, forming an alternative product ± 4,5-dihydro-3-R-isoxazol-5-ols ± in the reaction with hydroxylamine, independent of the presence of F-atoms in the RCO moiety [11]. In the case of 2-(trifluoroacetyl)cyclopentanone, the dioxime [11], which cyclizes in acidic medium only, was also isolated.The present work aimed at the investigation of the chemical behavior of a variety of 2-(polyfluoroacyl)cycloalkanones in the reaction with hydroxylamine, the former differing in ring size, (polyfluoroalkyl)-radical length, and the presence of substituents at the cycloalkane ring. The expected products of such reactions can possess a set of