Two bis-imidazol-2-ylidine N-heterocyclic carbenes have been employed as ancillary ligands in an attempt to illustrate their utility in the palladium-mediated preparation of aryl ethers from aryl halides. Ullman-type homo-coupling of the aryl halides persistently occurred instead of ether formation. One of the well known N-heterocyclic carbenes, IPr, was employed with the same results. A variety of reaction conditions and reagents were investigated including solvents, N-heterocyclic carbene species, palladium source, alkoxide base, palladium to ligand ratio and reaction time. Reactivity of the individual N-heterocyclic carbenes as ancillary ligands in the palladium-catalyzed amination reaction of aryl halides was investigated to determine functionality of the carbenes. Alternative procedures to prepare the key intermediates in the synthesis of the bisimidazol- 2-ylidines were developed. In this study the aryl imidazoles were prepared from the corresponding phenol and carbonyldiimidazole. Subsequent N-alkylation then furnished the Nheterocyclic carbenes in high yield. Novel unsymmetrical N-heterocyclic carbenes with aryl and benzylic side groups have been synthesized as models for the subsequent synthesis of unsymmetrical polymer-bound Nheterocyclic carbenes. The unsymmetrical ligands were employed in the palladium-catalyzed amination of aryl halides and in the Suzuki-Miyaura Reaction. Two Merrifield resin polymerbound N-heterocyclic carbene ligands were then synthesized and employed in the aryl amination and Suzuki-Miyaura Reactions. Both reactions were greatly accelerated by the implementation of microwave heating. The Merrifield resin polymer-bound palladium-ligand complexes have been recycled through several reactions without loss of activity.