By examining structure activity relationships for a given catalytic reaction it is possible to discover what ligand features and parameters lead to stable and highly active/selective catalyst systems. With this knowledge in hand it may be possible to rationally design next generation ligands and catalysts to affect improved substrate transformations, with higher selectivities and faster reaction times. The success of Burk's DuPhos ligands in asymmetric hydrogenation demonstrated that chiral phosphacycles can be a potent source of chiral induction, whilst in a similar vein the work of van Leeuwen and Kamer established the wide bite angle xanthene based ligands as excellent catalysts in a range of reactions including hydroformylation. In a preliminary study with Osborne they showed that combining these wide bite angle ligand backbones with Burk's phospholane moieties led to a new powerful ligand in asymmetric allylic substitution. To examine the potential of combining these two ligand features further we designed and synthesised nine new C2-symmetric bidentate wide bite angle bisphosphacyclic ligands, featuring phosphetane, phospholane or diazaphospholane rings, aiming at a wide diversity of steric and electronic properties. The application of these ligands as chiral auxiliaries in transition metal catalysed reactions, including; hydrogenation, hydrocyanation, hydroformylation and allylic alkylation has been investigated. Good to excellent enantioselectivities were observed in all reactions, with maximum ee's of 92.5% observed in hydrogenation, using N-(3,4-dihydro-1-napthalenyl)-acetamide as substrate, and of 96.2% in the alkylation of 1,3-diphenyl-2-propenyl acetate.

<p>The HIV protease is an essential enzyme for HIV replication and constitutes an important target in the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Efficient combination therapies using inhibitors of the reverse transcriptase and protease enzymes have led many to reevaluate HIV infections from a terminal condition to a chronic-but-manageable disease in the developed world. Unfortunately, the emergence of drug resistant viral strains and severe treatment-related adverse effects limit the benefits of current anti-HIV/AIDS drugs for many patients. Furthermore, less than one in ten patients infected with HIV in low- and middle-income countries have access to proper treatment. These important shortcomings highlight the need for new, cost effective anti-HIV/AIDS drugs with unique properties.</p><p>Microwave heating has recently emerged as a productivity-enhancing tool for the medicinal chemist. Reaction times can often be reduced from hours to minutes or seconds and chemistry previously considered impractical or unattainable can now be accessed.</p><p>In this thesis, the search for unique HIV-1 protease inhibitors and the development and application of new microwave-promoted synthetic methods useful in small-scale medicinal chemistry applications are presented. Protocols for rapid amino- and hydrazidocarbonylations were developed. Mo(CO)₆ was used as a solid source of carbon monoxide, enabling a safe, efficient and simple way to exploit carbonylation chemistry without the direct use of toxic carbon monoxide gas. The aminocarbonylation methodology was applied in the synthesis of two series of new HIV-1 protease inhibitors. A biological evaluation suggested that <i>ortho</i>-substitution of P1 and/or P1’ benzyl side chains might provide a new approach to HIV-1 protease inhibitors with novel properties. To assess the scope and limitations of the <i>ortho</i>-substitution concept, a new series of compounds exhibiting fair potency was prepared by various microwave-heated, palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions. Finally, computer modeling was applied to rationalize the binding-modes and structure-activity relationships of these HIV-1 protease inhibitors.</p>

The HIV protease is an essential enzyme for HIV replication and constitutes an important target in the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Efficient combination therapies using inhibitors of the reverse transcriptase and protease enzymes have led many to reevaluate HIV infections from a terminal condition to a chronic-but-manageable disease in the developed world. Unfortunately, the emergence of drug resistant viral strains and severe treatment-related adverse effects limit the benefits of current anti-HIV/AIDS drugs for many patients. Furthermore, less than one in ten patients infected with HIV in low- and middle-income countries have access to proper treatment. These important shortcomings highlight the need for new, cost effective anti-HIV/AIDS drugs with unique properties. Microwave heating has recently emerged as a productivity-enhancing tool for the medicinal chemist. Reaction times can often be reduced from hours to minutes or seconds and chemistry previously considered impractical or unattainable can now be accessed. In this thesis, the search for unique HIV-1 protease inhibitors and the development and application of new microwave-promoted synthetic methods useful in small-scale medicinal chemistry applications are presented. Protocols for rapid amino- and hydrazidocarbonylations were developed. Mo(CO)6 was used as a solid source of carbon monoxide, enabling a safe, efficient and simple way to exploit carbonylation chemistry without the direct use of toxic carbon monoxide gas. The aminocarbonylation methodology was applied in the synthesis of two series of new HIV-1 protease inhibitors. A biological evaluation suggested that ortho-substitution of P1 and/or P1’ benzyl side chains might provide a new approach to HIV-1 protease inhibitors with novel properties. To assess the scope and limitations of the ortho-substitution concept, a new series of compounds exhibiting fair potency was prepared by various microwave-heated, palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions. Finally, computer modeling was applied to rationalize the binding-modes and structure-activity relationships of these HIV-1 protease inhibitors.