The syntheses of racemic and homochiral [4.4]-spirolactams, starting from L-proline, in good yields are described. Reduction of the lactam carbonyl group of spirolactams, containing chiral substituents on the lactam nitrogen, with lithium aluminium hydride, gives a series of homochiral [4.4]-spirodiamines. The crystal structure of one of these spirodiamines on complexation with zinc chloride was obtained. Interestingly it showed a hydrogen-bonded dimeric structure, where the monomers are diastereoisomeric diamines
