New developments in homogeneous transition metal-catalyzed carbonylation of alkenes are presented in this dissertation. The investigations focus on the use of both noble and non-noble transition metals in carbonylation reactions with various nucleophilic reagents, including hydrogen gas and alcohols for hydroformylation and alkoxycarbonylation, respectively.
Specifically, prior computational predictions were integrated into the investigation of iridium-catalyzed hydroxymethylation of olefins through hydroformylation/reduction domino process employing two synergistic ligands; the presence of aryl secondary phosphine oxide accelerated the formation of cobalt active species for alkoxycarbonylation of olefins under relatively mild conditions, and this effect remains unimpaired when using amine and water as nucleophiles for amino- and hydroxy-carbonylation reactions; the use of an extremely efficient ligand called LIKATphos in palladium-catalyzed alkoxycarbonylation of olefins, which allow for reduced palladium loading to ppm levels, resulting in a high yield of ester products and achieving a "true" homeopathic condition.