This thesis describes synthesis of new chiral N,P ligands and their evaluation in two types of asymmetric transition-metal catalyzed reactions. The first part of the thesis describes studies in iridium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation. A new class of chiral N,P ligands, imidazole-phosphines, was synthesized and evaluated in the Ir-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of olefins (Paper I). The new ligands proved to be highly efficient and enantioselective in the reaction. Because the substrate scope of Ir-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation is still limited to certain types of test substrates, new substrate classes with importance in medicinal and materials chemistry were investigated. Vinyl fluorides were efficiently hydrogenated to fluorine-containing chiral centers by the iridium catalysts with imidazole-phosphine ligands (Paper I). To obtain CF3-bearing chiral centers, we hydrogenated CF3-substituted olefins (Paper II). Ir-catalyzed asymmetric  hydrogenation was highly enantioselective for the functionalized CF3-substituted olefins and the resulting chiral products can be valuable in design of materials such as LCD screens. Ir-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation was also evaluated as a route to diarylmethine chiral centers (Paper III). A wide range of new chiral compounds possessing a diarylmethine chiral center was obtained. The second part of the thesis deals with asymmetric intermolecular Heck reaction utilizing N,P ligands. The N,P ligand class of thiazole-phosphines was evaluated in the Heck reaction (Paper IV) and gave high enantioselectivity. Further, the intermolecular Heck reaction was examined using computational and experimental studies (Paper V). This study led to a better understanding of the enantioselectivity in the reaction.

The work described in this thesis is focused on the development of new bidentate iridium complexes and their applications in the asymmetric reduction of olefins, ketones and imines. Three new types of iridium complexes were synthesized, which included pyridine derived chiral N,P-iridium complexes, achiral NHC complexes and chiral NHC-phosphine complexes. A study of their catalytic applications demonstrated a high efficiency of the N,P-iridium complexes for asymmetric hydrogenation of olefins, with good enantioselectivity. The carbene complexes were found to be very efficient hydrogen transfer mediators capable of abstracting hydrogen from alcohols and subsequently transfer it to other unsaturated bonds. This hydrogen transferring property of the carbene complexes was used in the development of C–C and C–N bond formation reactions via the hydrogen borrowing process. The complexes displayed high catalytic reactivity using 0.5–1.0 mol% of the catalyst and mild reaction conditions. Finally chiral carbene complexes were found to be activated by hydrogen gas. Their corresponding iridium hydride species were able to reduce ketones and imines with high efficiency and enantioselectivity without any additives, base or acid. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 5: Submitted. Paper 6: Manuscript.</p><p> </p>