Thesis advisor: James P. Morken / This dissertation details the development, application and study of new palladium-catalyzed carbon-carbon bond forming strategies that generate synthetically useful enantioenriched small molecules. Controlled by a bidentate phosphine ligand, these transformations are thought to operate through a unique 3,3'-reductive elimination that leads to high regio- and stereoselectivity. Specifically, Chapter 1 introduces background on prior work that led to the first allyl-allyl coupling to deliver branched 1,5-dienes, and presents new computational studies on the origins of regioselectivity with mono- and bidentate ligands. Building on these studies, Chapter 2 describes the development of a diastereoselective allyl-allyl coupling of substituted allylboron reagents with allylic chloride electrophiles. To extend the scope of allyl-allyl coupling, Chapter 3 details further reaction optimization and mechanistic studies that have allowed for increasingly congested bond formations. In Chapter 4, a related allyl-propargyl coupling to give enantioenriched 1,5-enynes through stereospecific reactions and kinetic resolution is presented. These developments are accompanied by laboratory and computational data that provide a deeper understanding of reaction mechanisms and the origins of regio- and stereoselectivity. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Chemistry.

Las sales de oro se han convertido en uno de los catalizadores por excelencia en una gran variedad de transformaciones orgánicas mediante la activación selectiva de alquinos, alenos y alquenos. Parte del trabajo de esta tesis doctoral se ha centrado en el estudio de la naturaleza carbénica o carbocatiónica de los intermedios de reacción presentes en las cicloisomerizaciones de 1,5-eninos catalizadas por complejos de oro. De esta forma se han desarrollado distintas metodologías de ciclación dando lugar a diferentes productos tricíclicos a partir de oxo-1,5-eninos o 1,5-bencileninos. Además, se ha podido aplicar estas nuevas metodologías de ciclación en la síntesis de productos naturales como etapa clave de la misma. Por último, nuestro interés se ha centrado en el desarrollo de reacciones intermoleculares de gran utilizad química catalizadas por oro. Por ello hemos desarrollado la síntesis de fenoles substituidos a partir de diferentes acetilenos y furanos. / Gold salts and complexes are the most active catalysts for the activation of alkynes, allenes and alkenes. Part of this Doctoral Thesis is focused on the study of the carbenic or cationic character of the reaction intermediates presents in the cycloisomerizations of 1,5-enynes catalyzed by goldcomplexes. Different methodologies have been developed to synthesize different tryciclic products from oxo-1,5-enynes or 1,5-benzylenynes. Moreover, these methodologies were applied successfully as the key step in the synthesis of natural products. Finally, our interest was focused on the development of intermolecular gold-catalyzed reactions. Therefore, we have developed a general synthesis of trisubstituted phenols from alkynes and furans.