Cycloaddition of nitrones to metal-activated nitriles and isocyanides

1,3-Dipolar cycloaddition reactions of nitrones to nitriles and isocyanides are considered. Attention is focused on metal-mediated processes and the role played by the nature of the metal centre and its oxidation state. The published data on the selectivity of metal-mediated cycloaddition of nitrones to nitriles and the new data on the cycloaddition of nitrones to coordinated isocyanide ligands are summarized and analyzed.