Reaction of an arsinoamide with chloro tetrylenes: substitution and As-N bond insertion.

Reaction of the arsinoamide [(Mes2AsNPh){Li(OEt2)2}] with the low-valent group 14 compounds, [{PhC(tBuN)2}ECl] (E = Si, Ge) and GeCl2·dioxane, resulted in two different reaction pathways: simple substitution or substitution accompanied by an insertion step. As a result, either insertion products with an As-Si[double bond, length as m-dash]N unit and an As-Ge bond, or substitution products, in which the intact arsinoamide binds to the group 14 elements via the N atom, were obtained.