Following the procedure described for the preparation of N2-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-N1-((1S)-3-chloro-2-oxo-1-{[(3S)-2-oxopyrrolidin-3-yl]methyl}propyl)-l-leucinamide but substituting Boc-(β t-butyl)-Ala-OH and making noncritical variations provided a golden syrup.