Convenient and high-yielding syntheses of two new morpholine-substituted N-heterocyclic carbene ligands, 1-Ar-3-2-(4-morpholinyl)phenyl}imidazolidin-2-ylidene (Ar = Dipp, Mes), are described. An investigation of corresponding palladium complexes reveals hemilability, and examples of both monodentate and bidentate coordination are observed. A preliminary investigation of the activity of these palladium complexes for Buchwald–Hartwig amination catalysis is presented.