In a previous communication'we reported the efficacy of the trichlorosilane-tertiary amine combination in the selective reduction of polyhalo compounds. The isolation of trichloromethyltrichlorosilane led us to propose that the amine-catalyzed reduction of carbon tetrachloride by trichlorosilane may well proceed via the formation and subsequent cleavage of the carbon-silicon bonded species. Reported here is a series of reactions that, beyond ...