Halogen compounds reduction

Little is known about the tolerance of 1 with unsaturated (poly)halogen compounds. Hydrozirconation of chloroalkenes can lead to competitive cycUzation, and simple reduction of both C=C and C-Cl bonds [98, 222], However addition of 1 to an alkenyl- or propargyl bromide led to the expected product as the sole product of the reaction in excellent yield (Scheme 8-30) [134, 223]. 

Complex (16), which has a similar structure to Co11 salen, catalyzes the electrocarboxylation of arylmethyl chlorides.274 The enhancement of the catalytic life of (16) as compared to Co-salen may be due to the absence of imino bond in its ligand. The catalytic reduction of halogenated compounds has also been attempted at poly[Mn(salen)]-coated electrodes (M = Ni,253 Co275), which might have potential use for determination of organohalide pollutants.275... 

Schmal D, van Erkel J, van Duin PJ (1986) Electrochemical reduction of halogenated compounds in process wastewaters, Inst Chem Eng Symp Ser 1986,98 (Electrochem Eng) 281 Chem Abstr 105 158252e... 

Two types of electrogenerated carbon bases have commonly been used (1) dianions derived from activated alkenes, and (2) carbanions formed by reductive cleavage of halogen compounds or by direct reduction of weak carbon acids. In both cases, the efficiency of the proton transfer reaction relies on a thermodynamically favored proton transfer or a fast follow-up reaction of the deproto-nated substrate. 

Reductions with aluminum are carried out almost exclusively with aluminum amalgam. This is prepared by immersing strips of a thin aluminum foil in a 2% aqueous solution of mercuric chloride for 15-60 seconds, decanting the solution, rinsing the strips with absolute ethanol, then with ether, and cutting them with scissors into pieces of approximately 1 cm [141,142]. In aqueous and non-polar solvents aluminum amalgam reduces cumulative double bonds [143], ketones to pinacols [144], halogen compounds [145], nitro compounds [146, 147], azo compounds [148], azides [149], oximes [150] and quinones [151], and cleaves sulfones [141, 152, 153] and phenylhydrazones [154] (Procedure 30, p. 212). 

It was found that certain substituents render nitrobenzene inert to reduction by potassium borohydride, whereas other substituents activate the reduction to azoxy compounds. The substituents which favored this reduction all had positive Hammett sigma constants (e.g., p-C 1, p-Br, p-I, p-COOH, m-C 1, m-Br, m-1, m-CHO reduced to m-azoxybenzyl alcohol and m-OC2H5). Among the by-products of the reaction of a p-halogen compound, when carried out in ethanol solution, was p-nitrophenetole. The reduction ofp-fluoronitrobenzene afforded only p-nitrophenetole [48]. 

Figure 14.4 Selection of environmentally relevant redox couples including organic pollutants such as nitroaromatic and halogenated compounds, as well as examples of electron transfer mediators and important bulk reductants. The values given represent reduction potentials at pH 7 at equal (except otherwise indicated) concentrations of the redox partners but at environmental con-centrations of the major anions involved ...

Reaction LXII. Direct Reduction of Halogen Compounds. (J. C. S.,... 

The reduction potentials for various alkyl halides range from +0.5 to +1.5 V therefore, when Fe° serves as an electron donor, the reaction is thermodynamically favorable. Because three reductants are present in the treatment system (Fe°, H2, and Fe2+), three possible pathways exist. Equation (13.9) represents the oxidation of Fe° by reduction of a halogenated compound. In the second pathway, the ferrous iron behaves as a reductant, as represented in Equation (13.10). This reaction is relatively slow because the ability to reduce a pollutant by ferrous iron is dependent on the speciation ferrous ions, which is determined by the ligands present in the system. The third possible pathway, Equation (13.11), is dehalogenation by hydrogen. This reaction does not occur easily without a catalyst. In addition, if hydrogen levels become too high, corrosion is inhibited (Matheson and Tratnyek, 1994) ... 

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