Dipolar cycloadditions of nitrones in aqueous media

1,3-Dipolar cycloadditions of nitrones in aqueous media have been recently exploited as a non-conventional protocol in the synthesis of the fully- or partly-saturated isoxazole ring. Water as the reaction medium can affect positively both cycloaddition rates and yields, while the large array of latent functionalities displayed by the cycloadducts is of interest in their further transformations. A systematic review of literature data is given; improvements with respect to the nitrone cycloaddition carried out in organic solvents will be taken into account.