The addition of dimethylarsine to hexafluorobutyne-2 follows second order kinetics with activation energy, 6.09 k 0.20 kcallmole, and activation entropy, -48 k 1 e.u. The product distribution of the competitive reaction of din~ethylarsenic deuteride and diethylarsine with the acetylene shows that the addition mainly involves an intermolecular proton transfer. The mechanism of the addition is discussed.Canadian Journal of Chemistry, 47, 2137 (1969) Many investigations have been made of nucleophilic additions to acetylenes and a general rule of "trans addition" was postulated by Truce and Simms (1) and independently by Miller (2). This rule of stereospecific trans addition was based on product configuration. However, recently cis addition products have also been isolated (3, and references therein), mainly from reactions of primary and secondary amines, and with this 1 discovery, the question of the mechanism of . This reaction is clearly related to the amine additions and the present investigation was undertaken to establish if the mechanism of the arsine reaction involved a nucleophilic addition to form both products. It was also important to establish whether the hydrogen atom is transferred inter-or intra-molecularly. Experimental magnetic resonance (n.n~.r.) spectra were run on Varian A-60 and HA-100 instruments and are reported in p.p.m. downfield from external TMS. Ultraviolet (u.v.) spectra were recorded using a Cary Model 14 spectrophotometer; this was also used for the kinetic studies. Infrared (i.r.) spectra were run on a Perkin-Elmer Model 457 instrument.
Prepamtion of Di~netl~ylarsit~eThe method used is a modification of that of Dehn and Wilcox (8). A 1-liter 3-necked flask was fitted with a dropping funnel, water-cooled condenser, stirrer, nitrogen purge, and cold traps (-196') to condense any volatile productscoming through the condenser. Mercuric chloride (30 g) and zinc dust (290 g) were placed in the flask and stirred vigorously with 100 ml of water. A solution of dimethylarsinic acid (50 g) in water (100 ml) was purged with nitrogen, transferred to the dropping funnel using a syringe, and combined with the slurry in the reaction flask. In a similar way 12 N hydrochloric acid (250 ml) was slowly added to the vigorously stirred flask. After 6 h, the contents of the traps were taken into the vacuum system and dried over PZO,. The yield of dimethylarsine was 34.1 g (89%). It had a very strong As-H stretching frequency at 2085 cm-' and the n.ni.r. spectrum showed a doublet at 0.82 p.p.m. (6H) and a septet a t 2.82 p.p.m. (IH) ( J C H~H = 7.0 HZ).
Prepnrrrtiotz of Dimetl~ylnrse~~ic DeuterideDimethylarsine (10.8 g) was shaken with D 2 0 (30 g) and a trace of HCI (to speed exchange) for one week in a sealed tube. The arsine was separated and re-equilibrated with fresh D 2 0 . This yielded a product which is -100% (CH3),AsD as detected by n.ni.r.; (1 :1:1 triplet a t 0.82 p.p.m. ( J C H 3~ = 1 HZ)). The i.r. spectrum showed a strong As-D stretching band at 1502 cm-'.Volatile reagents and products wer...