A library of furanoside phosphite-phosphoroamidite ligands has been synthesized and screened in the palladium-catalyzed allylic substitution reactions of several substrate types. These series of ligands can be prepared efficiently from easily accessible d-xylose and d-glucose. Their modular nature enables the position of the phosphoroamidite group, configuration of C-3 of the furanoside backbone and the substituents/configurations in the biaryl phosphite/phosphoroamidite moieties to be easily and systematically varied. By carefully selecting the ligand components, therefore, high regio-and enantioselectivities (ees up to 98%) and good activities have been achieved in a broad range of mono-and disubstituted hindered and unhindered linear and cyclic substrates. The NMR studies on the palladium-p-allyl intermediates provide a deeper understanding about the effect of the ligand parameters on the origin of enantioselectivity. They also indicate that the nucleophilic attack takes place predominantly at the allylic terminal carbon atom located trans to the phosphoroamidite moiety.

New catalytic systems based on in situ and preformed palladium nanoparticles in ionic liquids (characterised by TEM) starting from palladium acetate or dipalladiumtris(dibenzylideneacetone) have been applied in the synthesis of 4-phenylbutan-2-one (II), a model compound for the preparation of fragrances. Imidazolium-based ionic liquid containing a methyl hydrogenophosphonate anion leads to an efficient Pd-catalyzed tandem coupling/reduction process, taking advantage of the multi-role of this solvent (nanoparticles stabiliser, base, hydrogen transfer agent). The influence of the mono-phosphine ligands (1-3) on the catalyst has been evaluated, showing that the ligand-free palladium system turns into the most appropriate for the formation of II using Pd(OAc)(2) as precursor. Fine-tuning conditions involved in this multi-parameter process have led us to propose a plausible mechanism based on the hydrogen transfer coming from the methyl hydrogenophosphonate anion.

Dihydroanthracene derivatives (1-6) containing imide (1-3) and amine (4-6) functions have been used for the stabilization of palladium nanoparticles, starting from Pd(0) and Pd(ii) organometallic precursors. Well-dispersed nanoparticles of mean size in the range ca. 1.9 to 3.6 nm could be obtained using Pd(0) precursors (PdLc and PdLd, where L = 1-6 and c and d mean the organometallic precursor involved, [Pd(2)(dba)(3)] and [Pd(ma)(nbd)] respectively). With the aim to evaluate the behaviour of homogeneous species and nanoparticles used as catalytic precursors, palladium complex coordinated to the diamine 6, [Pd(OAc)(2)(κ(2)-N,N-6)], was prepared, reporting for the first time the X-ray diffraction structure of a metallic complex containing a ligand with a 9,10-dihydroanthracene backbone. Palladium systems were evaluated in Suzuki C-C coupling reactions and relevant differences were observed comparing the reactivity of the homogeneous systems in relation to that obtained using palladium nanoparticles as starting catalyst in relation to the activation of the C-Br bonds for deactivated substrates.