title: Dechlorination of hexachlorobiphenyl by using potassium-sodium alloy.
abstract: 2,2',4,4',5,5'-Hexachlorobiphenyl (HCB) was dechlorinated with potassium-sodium (K-Na) alloy under an inert gas atmosphere. Solvent effect was observed in the reaction. Dechlorination yields in benzene and cyclohexane were 99.9998%, and 99.99996%, respectively. The reaction was exothermic and proceeded at room temperature. In benzene, trace amounts of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as products by stepwise dechlorination and polychlorinated quarterphenyls as product of Wurtz-Fittig reaction were detected as reaction intermediate. Reaction products were biphenyl, cyclohexylbenzene, and dicyclohexyl. In cyclohexane, there were no products of Wurtz-Fittig reaction. Dechlorination at para-position preferred to that at ortho-position, judging from analysis of PCBs as intermediates of stepwise dechlorination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyoshi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishio
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yasuhara
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morita
mesh_terms: D000497:Alloys / Q000737:chemistry*; D002713:Chlorine / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000737:chemistry*; D011188:Potassium / Q000737:chemistry; D012722:Sewage; D018505:Waste Management / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000497:Alloys; D012722:Sewage; D002713:Chlorine; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; D011188:Potassium; C014024:2,4,5,2',4',5'-hexachlorobiphenyl