Heating cyclic 2-carbonylsultam-substituted N-hydroxylamines 4 with NaH yields sultam auxiliary 8 and imines 10, which are trapped in situ either by i-Bu(2)AlH or organocerium reagents to give 2 enantiomerically pure 2-mono- or trans-2,6(2,5)-disubstituted piperidines (pyrrolidines) 11 or 12.