The use of palladium-catalyzed reactions to introduce new carbon-carbon bonds is a fundamental synthetic strategy that has been widely embraced due to its high chemo- and regioselectivity and functional group tolerance. In this context, Pd(0)-catalyzed aminocarbonylations using Mo(CO)6 instead of toxic and gaseous CO and with allylamine as the nucleophile were investigated. The aminocarbonylated product dominated over the Mizoroki-Heck product, and (hetero)aryl iodides, bromides and chlorides gave N-allylbenzamides in good yields. In this thesis improvements to an existing protocol for the Pd(II)-catalyzed synthesis of aryl ketones from five benzoic acids and a variety of nitriles are also presented. Addition of TFA improved the yields and employing THF as solvent enabled the use of solid nitriles, and the aryl ketones were isolated in good yields. The pandemic of HIV infection is one of the greatest public health issues of our time and approximately 35.3 million people worldwide are living with HIV. There are currently many drugs on the market targeting various parts of the viral reproduction cycle, but the problems of resistance warrant the search for new drugs. HIV-1 protease makes the virus mature into infectious particles. In this thesis a new type of HIV-1 protease inhibitor (PI) is presented, based on two of the PIs on the market, atazanavir and indinavir, but it has a tertiary alcohol, as well as a two-carbon tether between the quaternary carbon and the hydrazide β-nitrogen. A total of 25 new inhibitors were designed, synthesized and biologically evaluated, the best compound had an EC50 value of 3 nM. Based on this series a project aimed at synthesizing macrocycles spanning the P1-P3 area was initiated. Macrocycles often tend to have an improved affinity and metabolic profile compared to their linear analogs. Introduction of a handle in the para position of the P1 benzyl group proved difficult, despite efforts to synthesize intermediates containing either a bromo-, hydroxy-, methoxy-, silyl-group protected hydroxy- or an alkyne-group. The lactone intermediate was abandoned in favor of an alternative synthetic route and initial studies were found to be promising. This new approach requires further investigation before the target macrocycles can be synthesized.

Palladium-catalyzed reactions have found widespread use in contemporary organic chemistry due to their impressive range of functional group tolerance and high chemo- and regioselectivity. The pioneering contributions to the development of the Pd-catalyzed C-C bond forming cross-coupling reaction were rewarded with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2010. Today, this is a rapidly growing field, and the development of novel methods, as well as the theoretical understanding of the various processes involved are of immense importance for continued progress in this field. The aim of the work presented in this thesis was to develop novel palladium(0)- and palladium(II)-catalyzed reactions. The work involved in achieving this aim led to the development of a Mo(CO)6-mediated carbonylative Stille cross coupling reaction for the preparation of various deoxybenzoins. The protocol utilized convenient gas-free conditions to facilitate the carbonylative coupling of benzyl bromides and chlorides with aryl and heteroaryl stannanes. Mo(CO)6-assisted conditions were then used in the development of a general protocol suitable for the aminocarbonylation of aryl triflates. Both electron-poor and electron-rich triflates were coupled with primary, secondary and aryl amines. In addition, DMAP was found to be a beneficial additive when using sterically hindered or poorly nucleophilic amines. An efficient and convenient method for the synthesis of styrenes from arylboranes was developed, employing the relatively inexpensive vinyl acetate as the ethene source under Pd(II)-catalyzed conditions. The reaction mechanism was studied using ESI-MS, and a plausible catalytic cycle was proposed. A method for the oxidative Heck reaction employing aryltrifluoroborates and aryl MIDA boronates was also developed. Electron-rich and electron-poor olefins were regioselectively arylated under microwave-assisted conditions. Various arylboron species were identified in an ongoing reaction using ESI-MS.    Further investigations led to the development of a direct method for the synthesis of arylamidines from aryltrifluoroborates and cyanamides. Under Pd(II)-catalyzed conditions it was possible to insert the aryl into primary, secondary and tertiary cyanamides. Finally, a desulfitative method for the synthesis of aryl ketones was developed. A variety of aryl sulfinates were effectively inserted into alkyl- and aryl nitriles. The mechanism was further investigated using ESI-MS and a plausible catalytic cycle was proposed.

Sustainable chemical processes are becoming increasingly important in all fields of synthetic chemistry. Catalysis can play an important role in developing environmentally benign chemical processes, and transition metals have an important role to play in the area of green chemistry. In particular, palladium(II) catalysis includes many key features for successful green chemistry methods, as demonstrated by a number of eco-friendly oxidation reactions catalyzed by palladium(II). The aim of the work presented in this thesis was to develop novel and greener palladium(II)-catalyzed coupling reactions. In striving to achieve this aim, the first open-vessel, room-temperature palladium(II)-catalyzed oxidative Heck reaction, using oxygen from the air as the reoxidant of palladium, was developed. In a further investigation of the palladium(II)-catalyzed oxidative Heck reaction, base-free conditions for the transformation were identified and suitable conditions for microwave-assisted oxidative Heck reactions were established. A convenient and low-cost palladium(II)-catalyzed method for the synthesis of styrene derivatives, by coupling arylboranes with vinyl acetate, was developed. The reaction mechanism was studied using ESI-MS, which enabled the detection of cationic palladium intermediates in ongoing productive reactions, and a plausible catalytic cycle was proposed. In an attempt to make the oxidative Heck and the styrene synthesis reactions more attractive from an industrial point of view, conditions for continuous flow synthesis were identified. The results were generally good and rapid synthesis of the desired products was obtained. The first palladium(II)-catalyzed C–P bond-forming Hirao-type reaction, employing arylboranes instead of the commonly used aryl halides, was developed. An ESI-MS study was performed, and a plausible catalytic pathway was suggested. Finally, a novel method for synthesizing aryl ketones from benzoic acids and nitriles, via palladium(II)-catalyzed decarboxylation of the benzoic acids, was established. Further, the reaction mechanism was studied by ESI-MS and a plausible catalytic route presented.