The conversion of α-ketoacids to α-aminoacids is performed in some enzyme models by transamination, using pyridoxamine derivatives. When the pyridoxamine is attached to β-cyclodextrin the simple enzyme mimic shows substrate selectivity and also the induction of optical activity in the products. When base catalytic groups are attached to pyridoxamine the proton transfers are catalyzed by the basic groups; if they are mounted chirally on a rigid framework they also induce optical activity in the products. When these lines are combined, artificial enzymes are produced that bind a substrate selectively and then perform a chiral proton transfer to produce optically active amino acids with e.e.'s ranging from 74% to 96%. Two types of combination have been examined. In one of them the optical induction is only fairly good, but in the other the selectivity is excellent. The key seems to be the use of a particular bifunctional basic catalytic group, an ethylenediamine. This group is the best yet examined at catalyzing proton transfers in transamination reactions. Its use in a chiral artificial enzyme system leads to the observed high enantioselectivity.