Mechanochemical reduction of alkyl and aryl halides using mesoporous zinc oxide.

In this study, we propose a mechanochemical approach that combines mesoporous ZnO (m-ZnO) as a mechanoredox catalyst and silane-mediated atom transfer chemistry to achieve efficient hydrodehalogenation of organic halides. The reaction can be conducted under mild conditions without the use of a large amount of organic solvent. Substrates ranging from activated alkyl halides to unactivated aryl halides were converted to the corresponding debrominated hydrogenation products in moderate to excellent isolated yields (50-95%). In addition, m-ZnO can be recycled and reused without appreciable loss of catalytic activity.