Organ, Michael George2017-07-272017-07-272017-01-172017-07-27http://hdl.handle.net/10315/33513The reaction between aryl halides and ammonia was investigated using N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligated palladium pre-catalysts. The use of NHCs is well documented for coupling of alkyl and arylamines, but there is little precedent for the coupling of ammonia. A new, rationally designed, pre-catalyst (DiMeIHeptCl)Pd(allyl)Cl featuring highly-branched alkyl chains has been shown to be effective in selective aminations across a range of challenging substrates, including nitrogen-containing heterocycles and those featuring base-sensitive functionality. The less bulky Pd-PEPPSI-IPentCl pre-catalyst performs well for ortho substituted aryl halides giving monoarylated products in high yield with good selectivity.enAuthor owns copyright, except where explicitly noted. Please contact the author directly with licensing requests.ChemistryElectronic Thesis or Dissertation2017-07-27PalladiumCatalysisNHCAminationBuchwald-Hartwig aminationAmmoniaAminotriphenysilane