Recent advances in the generation of nitrilium betaine 1,3-dipoles

Nitrilium betaine 1,3-dipoles are ubiquitous reagents in organic chemistry, with applications ranging from natural product synthesis to materials science. Given the high reactivity of these zwitterionic motifs, they are invariably generated in situ from a suitable precursor, prior to use. This short review summarises the recent progress in the development of modern approaches towards the formation of these 1,3-dipoles, and their applications within a diverse range of fields.