Abstract
Polarographic studies of methylene chloride, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, carbon tetrabromide, dichlorodifluoromethane, chlorodifluoromethane, benzal chloride, benzotrichloride, and diphenyldichloromethane have been carried out in dimethylformamide and acetonitrile. The results with carbon tetrachloride and carbon tetrabromide point to the formation of dihalocarbenes as intermediates in the reduction of these compounds. This mechanism was verified by the large‐scale electrolytic reduction of carbon tetrachloride in acetonitrile in the presence of tetramethylethylene and the isolation of 1,1‐dichloro‐2,2,3,3‐ tetramethylcyclopropane as one of the products.