The syntheses of four new, differently O-substituted 3-hydroxypyrroline N-oxides and the first 3-amino analogue have been performed by the use of a strategy involving double nucleophilic displacement of the corresponding dimesylates by hydroxylamine and oxidation of the resulting 1-hydroxypyrrolidines. The regioselectivity data of the oxidation reactions nicely confirm the mechanistic hypothesis, which explains the dependence on ...