Cycloaddition chemistry of carbonyl ylides for alkaloid synthesis

As highlighted in this mini-review, a growing area of interest in organic synthesis involves the use of substituted carbonyl ylides as 1,3-dipoles for the preparation of alkaloidal natural products. Cascade reactions proceeding by an intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of carbonyl ylides are of particular interest to the synthetic organic community because of the increase in molecular complexity involved and the high isolated yields.