Organotransition metal [3+2] cycloaddition reactions

The review, covering the literature of roughly the last three decades, describes the [3 + 2] cycloaddition reactions of metalla dipolarophiles M=X with organic 1,3-dipoles, and of metalla 1,3-dipoles, M-X=Y and X-M=Y, with organic dipolarophiles. The resulting 5-membered metalla heterocycles can undergo consecutive insertion and/or reductive elimination reactions to give synthetically interesting organic heterocycles. The reactivity of the organometal 1,3-dipoles is explained by extensive series of isolobal transformations to classic organic 1,3-dipoles. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.