The hydrodehalogenation of alkyl and aryl halides was efficiently performed using a reducing system composed Of CuCl(2)(.)2H(2)O, an excess of lithium sand and a catalytic amount (5 mol%) of 4,4'-di-tert-butylbiphenyl (DTBB) as electron carrier, in tetrahydrofuran at room temperature. The reaction of a series of alkyl and aryl fluorides, chlorides, bromides, and iodides with this combination led to the formation of the corresponding products resulting from a halogen/hydrogen exchange. The use of deuterium oxide instead of water in the copper salt allowed the preparation of the corresponding deuterated products. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.