Dehalogenation of organic halides using the NiCl2•2H2O-Li-DTBB (cat.) combination

The reaction of different chlorinated, brominated or iodinated materials, bearing or without a functional group, with a mixture of nickel(II) chloride dihydrate, an excess of lithium powder and a catalytic amount of 4,4'-di-tert-butylbiphenyl (DTBB) (5 mol%) in THF at room temperature, leads to the formation of the corresponding products resulting from a halogen/hydrogen exchange. The use of deuterium oxide instead of water in the nickel salt allows the corresponding deuteration. This methodology does not work with fluorinated materials. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.