It is over 100 years since scientists first postulated the existence of arynes as reactive intermediates. Their use in organic synthesis is now well-established and investigations into novel methods for their generation and utility in carbon-carbon bond forming reactions continue to this day. In 1983 Kobayashi and co-workers introduced a novel method of generating benzyne under mild conditions, using a fluoride induced decomposition of 2-(trimethylsilyl)phenyl triflate 1. This development has opened the door to employing arynes in a variety of transitionmetal mediated carbon-carbon bond forming processes. Intermolecular carbopalladation, in particular, stands out as a powerful methodology for the construction of diverse 1,2-functionalised arenes through multi-component coupling processes. Initial benzyne carbopalladation with an organopalladium species produces the arylpalladium intermediate 3, which can then undergo a second coupling to any one of the vast numbers of nucleophiles that have been demonstrated to work in palladium cross coupling. Presented herein are investigations towards the realisation of such methodology. Initial efforts focussed on its application to the Heck reaction, using acryates as the nucleophilic component. The chemistry has been developed to incorporate a variety of organo-halides in order to generate a variety of molecular architectures; the resultant 1,2-substituted diaryls being useful in the synthesis of both natural products and medicinal chemistry targets. Following successful development of the Heck reaction, investigations of other palladium catalysed couplings were also undertaken, in particular the Buchwald reaction. Initial mechanistic studies are also discussed.

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Palladium-catalyzed reactions have become one of the most important tools in modern organic chemistry due to its ability to catalyze the formation of new carbon-carbon bonds. The aim of the work presented in this thesis was to develop new palladium(II)-catalyzed addition reactions. In this work, cyanamides were investigated as a new substrate to give aryl amidines as products. The first protocol developed employed aryltrifluoroborates as the aryl partner, and the insertion of the aryl group into un-, mono-, and di-substituted cyanamides was successful for a wide variety of aryltrifluoroborates. An alternative method of generating the necessary intermediate for insertion into the cyanamide is the decarboxylative formation of aryl-palladium from aryl carboxylic acids. A protocol was developed for this reaction, but was unfortunately limited to a small number of ortho-substituted electron-rich aryl carboxylic acids. The mechanism was investigated by the means of DFT calculations and ESI-MS studies, and the rate-determining step was suggested to be the 1,2-carbopalladation based upon those results. A translation of the batch protocol to continuous-flow conditions was also demonstrated. The ideal method of generating the aryl-palladium species is by C-H bond activation, and this approach was demonstrated with indoles, giving a variety of 3-amidinoindoles as products. The mechanism was investigated by DFT calculations and a plausible catalytic cycle was proposed. A continuous-flow application of a desulfitative palladium(II)-catalyzed addition to nitriles to give ketones was developed. In addition, different reactor materials were evaluated in the microwave heated reactor cavity. Thus the reaction was shown to proceed with microwave heating in a borosilicate glass and an aluminum oxide reactor, and also in conditions mimicking conventional heating in a silicon carbide reactor. Finally, a protocol was developed for the convenient synthesis of sodium aryl sulfinates from Grignard and lithium reagents using a solid sulfur dioxide source as a safe alternative to the gas. The products of this protocol can be used as aryl-palladium precursors by a desulfitative process.

Investigation of the catalytic formation, reactivity and synthetic scope of sp³-gem-organodimetallic palladio(II)/main group metal (main group metal = tributylstannyl, dialkylalumino) alkane species has been carried out. Insight was expanded regarding the inter- and intramolecular reactivity of vinylmetallic reagents in presence of transition metal catalysts. New Pd-catalysed methodologies for carbon-carbon bond formation were developed, such as cyclopropanation of strained olefins, as well as tandem vinylalane arylation/1,2-methyl transfer and 1,2-diarylation. On the one hand, geminal π-allylpalladio(II)/tributylstannylalkane intermediates are produced by oxidative addition of Pd(0) catalysts to α-tributylstannylpropenyl acetate derivatives. They adopt ambiphilic behaviour depending on the transition metal pre-catalyst, presence or absence of phosphine ligands, and reaction temperature. In presence of tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(0) with additional bidentate ligand, the carbenoid reactivity of these gem-organobismetallic species is exposed by reaction with dimethyl malonate. Deuterium-labeling studies demonstrated sequential functionalisation of the C-Sn and C-Pd bonds. Conversely, phosphine-free catalyst bis(dibenzylideneacetone)palladium(0) uncovers metal-carbene reactivity, and dimerisation and strained alkene cyclopropanation reactions are observed. The nature of the palladium catalyst controls the reactivity of the carbenoid species. Finally, bis(cyclooctadienerhodium(I) chloride) catalytically activates the alkenylstannane moiety, leaving the allylic acetate leaving group available for further transformations. On the other hand, gem-disubstituted trifluoromethanesulfonyloxy- and iodopalladio(II)/ dialkylaluminoneopentane species are generated by intramolecular migratory insertion of 2,2-disubstituted-1-butenyldialkylalanes with σ-arylpalladium(II) triflate and iodide intermediates. Using excess Lewis-basic 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane, electron-rich tris(para-methoxyphenyl)phosphine ligand and acetonitrile as solvent, tandem arylation/1,2-alkyl migration from aluminum to carbon affords 7-substituted-1-ethyl-1-methylindanes containing an all-carbon quaternary stereogenic centre in good yields. This reaction is tolerant of 6-aryl methyl ethers, thioethers and trimethylsilanes. Deuterium labeling established that protiodealumination of the key neopentyl(methyl)aluminum triflate intermediate is caused by the acetonitrile solvent. The organodimetallic species in that study were shown to be configurationally stable, hence the stereospecificity of the process that proceeds via carbopalladation, transmetalation and reductive elimination of an alkylpalladium(II) intermediate. When applied to 1-naphthyl triflate-tethered vinylalanes, the same reaction conditions mediate stereospecific 1,2-diarylation, leading to 2,3,3a,4-tetrahydro-1H-cyclopenta[def]phenanthrenes in excellent yields. The influence of DABCO, tether length and solvent polarity was studied. Selective tandem arylation/1,2-methyl migration could also be achieved in non-polar solvent in absence of Lewis base. While steric properties took precedence over electronic considerations when inducing product selection, preagostic C-H···Pd interactions were postulated to facilitate 1,3-metal migration in the production of 1H-cyclopenta[def]phenanthrene derivatives.

Investigation of the catalytic formation, reactivity and synthetic scope of sp³-gem-organodimetallic palladio(II)/main group metal (main group metal = tributylstannyl, dialkylalumino) alkane species has been carried out. Insight was expanded regarding the inter- and intramolecular reactivity of vinylmetallic reagents in presence of transition metal catalysts. New Pd-catalysed methodologies for carbon-carbon bond formation were developed, such as cyclopropanation of strained olefins, as well as tandem vinylalane arylation/1,2-methyl transfer and 1,2-diarylation. On the one hand, geminal π-allylpalladio(II)/tributylstannylalkane intermediates are produced by oxidative addition of Pd(0) catalysts to α-tributylstannylpropenyl acetate derivatives. They adopt ambiphilic behaviour depending on the transition metal pre-catalyst, presence or absence of phosphine ligands, and reaction temperature. In presence of tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(0) with additional bidentate ligand, the carbenoid reactivity of these gem-organobismetallic species is exposed by reaction with dimethyl malonate. Deuterium-labeling studies demonstrated sequential functionalisation of the C-Sn and C-Pd bonds. Conversely, phosphine-free catalyst bis(dibenzylideneacetone)palladium(0) uncovers metal-carbene reactivity, and dimerisation and strained alkene cyclopropanation reactions are observed. The nature of the palladium catalyst controls the reactivity of the carbenoid species. Finally, bis(cyclooctadienerhodium(I) chloride) catalytically activates the alkenylstannane moiety, leaving the allylic acetate leaving group available for further transformations. On the other hand, gem-disubstituted trifluoromethanesulfonyloxy- and iodopalladio(II)/ dialkylaluminoneopentane species are generated by intramolecular migratory insertion of 2,2-disubstituted-1-butenyldialkylalanes with σ-arylpalladium(II) triflate and iodide intermediates. Using excess Lewis-basic 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane, electron-rich tris(para-methoxyphenyl)phosphine ligand and acetonitrile as solvent, tandem arylation/1,2-alkyl migration from aluminum to carbon affords 7-substituted-1-ethyl-1-methylindanes containing an all-carbon quaternary stereogenic centre in good yields. This reaction is tolerant of 6-aryl methyl ethers, thioethers and trimethylsilanes. Deuterium labeling established that protiodealumination of the key neopentyl(methyl)aluminum triflate intermediate is caused by the acetonitrile solvent. The organodimetallic species in that study were shown to be configurationally stable, hence the stereospecificity of the process that proceeds via carbopalladation, transmetalation and reductive elimination of an alkylpalladium(II) intermediate. When applied to 1-naphthyl triflate-tethered vinylalanes, the same reaction conditions mediate stereospecific 1,2-diarylation, leading to 2,3,3a,4-tetrahydro-1H-cyclopenta[def]phenanthrenes in excellent yields. The influence of DABCO, tether length and solvent polarity was studied. Selective tandem arylation/1,2-methyl migration could also be achieved in non-polar solvent in absence of Lewis base. While steric properties took precedence over electronic considerations when inducing product selection, preagostic C-H···Pd interactions were postulated to facilitate 1,3-metal migration in the production of 1H-cyclopenta[def]phenanthrene derivatives.