Enantio- and Diastereoselective Rh(II)-Catalyzed 1,3-Dipolar Cycloadditions of Carbonyl Ylides and their Recent Applications in Complex Molecule Synthesis

The Rh(II)-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of carbonyl ylides derived from diazocarbonyl compounds is one of the most powerful methods for the synthesis of mono- and polycyclic heterocycles. Recently, there has been a growing interest in the development of enantioselective variants of this protocol and the direct application in asymmetric total synthesis. Herein, we discuss recent advances in this field in the context of the type of chiral method used for stereoselective synthesis with particular emphasis on the levels of asymmetric induction.