Two palladium complexes with P-N-P ligands [Pd{(SPPh 2 ) 2 N} 2 ]{Pd(S,S)} and [Pd{(SePPh) 2 N} 2 ]{Pd(Se,Se)} were prepared and investigated as novel polladium catalysts for oxidative carbonylation of phenol using carbon monoxide and oxygen along with a redox catalyst (for in situ regeneration of palladium) and ammonium halide. The efficiency of these new catalysts was compared with that of a PdCl 2 -based catalyst system. In order to obtain the maximum efficiency, the effects of various parameters such as concentration of redox catalyst and ammonium halide, the effect of solvent, the influence of a quinone-type redox catalyst in addition to inorganic redox catalyst, and the effect of temperature were studied. Under the reaction conditions employed, the Pd(S,S) catalyst was found to perform better than PdCl 2 -based catalyst system, whereas the Pd(Se,Se) catalyst had extremely low efficiency.