Reduction of halocarbons to hydrocarbons by NADH models and NADH.

The reduction of halocarbons by NADH models and NADH under ambient conditions is reported as a new type of reactivity pointing towards a hitherto unknown disruptive pathway for NADH/NADPH-dependent processes. The reaction was studied with the omnipresent pesticide DDT, the inhalation anesthetic halothane, and several simple halocarbons. The halide-hydride exchange represents a biochemical equivalent for the reduction of halocarbons by traditional synthetic reagents like silanes (R3Si-H) and stannanes (R3Sn-H). High precision thermochemical calculations (CBS-QB3) reveal the carbon-hydrogen bond dissociation energy of NADH (70.8 kcal·mol-1) to be lower than that of stannane (SnH4: 78.1 kcal·mol-1), approaching that of the elusive plumbane (PbH4: 68.9 kcal·mol-1). The ready synthetic accessibility of NADH models, their low carbon-hydrogen bond dissociation energy, and their dehalogenation activity in the presence of air and moisture recommend these compounds as substitutes for the air-sensitive or toxic metal hydrides currently employed in synthesis.