A zwitterion conducts the polymerization as the key intermediate, which is formed by the reaction between neutral electrophile and nucleophile, or as the monomer itself, which is prepared and isolated before use. The latter case is known in a limited number of articles. On the other hand, a number of examples have been reported for the former case, which is categorized into the following three patterns: (1) Propagation takes place from one site of a zwitterion, accordingly, which is the initiating species to give homopolymer. There is a case that a cyclic polymer is produced by the backbiting. (2) A zwitterion is formed to activate a monomer and reacts with a neutral initiator as well as the same functional group at the polymer terminal for the propagation reaction. In these two patterns, amine, phosphine, or
N
‐heterocyclic carbene work as the initiator and the activator, respectively. (3) No catalyst copolymerization takes place by the reactions between zeitterionic intermediates, which are produced by the combination of a nucleophilic monomer with an electrophilic monomer. The monomers that appear in these three patterns involve electron‐deficient and electron‐rich olefinic compounds including qiunone and allene, heterocumulenes such as isocyanate and carbon disulfide, and heterocyclic compounds such as lactone, oxirane, amino acid
N
‐carboxyanhydride, cyclic imino ether, cyclic phosphite, and cyclic phophonite.