Hydrodehalogenation of Aromatic Halogens Using Sodium Borohydride and Palladium under Ambient Conditions

Abstract: Using sodium borohydride as the reducing agent and catalyzed by activated palladium on carbon, the reductive dehalogenation of aromatic halides is observed under room temperature and pressure. This heterogeneous reaction mixture employs isopropyl alcohol as the solvent and provides high conversion yields within an hour reaction time. The effects of the local electronic environment on yields are currently being studied using halogenated benzonitriles, toluenes, anisoles, and benzenes.