N-Boc-α-tosylsarcosine ethyl ester (3) reacts under neutral conditions either with allylic carbonates or with vinyloxirane in the presence of a catalytic amount of Pd(PPh 3 ) 4 and dppe (5 mol%) to give regio- and stereoselectively the corresponding allylated products 5 and 6, respectively. Reductive desulfonylation of these compounds with Mg-MeOH affords the corresponding protected γ,δ-unsaturated N-methyl-α-amino acids 7 and 8.