The major routes for making aminoacids and their isotopomers described in the literature are briefly compiled, especially considering about fourty research papers from the last five years. This report concentrates on the introduction of2H,13C,15N,17O and18O into different defined positions of L-α-aminoacids. A scheme of four reaction categories with flowcharts is presented (homologation reactions with labelled cyanide and acetate; α-homologation of labeled glycine; β-homologation and/or amination of labelled alanine equivalents and α-enoic acids, including side chain modifications; and reductive amination and transamination of labelled α-ketoacids). The labelling studies done here include the 1-13C substitution of α-ketoacids by the trimethylsilyl cyanide method, the glycine isotopomer homologation by the azlactone and hydantoin methods, the enzymatic aryl and/or ammonia addition to pyruvate and α-enoic acids, and the enzymatic reductive amination of α-ketoacids under enzymatic or enzymo—electrochemical NAD+recycling.