2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: Primary: 34B40; secondary: 35Q51, 35Q53By using the Deift–Trubowitz transformations for adding or removing bound states to the spectrum of the Schrödinger operator on the line we construct a simple algorithm allowing one to reduce the problem of deriving symplectic expansions to its simplest case when the spectrum is purely continuous, and vice versa. We also obtain the transformation formulas for the correponding recursion operator. As an illustration of...