Highly efficient catalytic hydrodehalogenation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

The hydrodehalogenation of polychlorinated phenyls and biphenyls (PCBs), catalysed by palladium N-heterocyclic carbene complexes, proceeds with excellent yields, at very low catalyst loadings and at room temperature, using isopropanol as the hydrogen source and NaOH as the base.