Abstract Fosmidomycin is a promising antimalarial compound with a novel mode of action, the inhibition of 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate reductoisomerase, a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of isoprenoids through the nonmevalonate pathway. This paper describes the synthesis of a series of analogues in which the hydroxamate moiety is incorporated in a ring structure, leaving the complexation with the enzyme up to the oxygen lone pairs instead of ...