The first claim to make pentamethylarsenic was in 1862 in a reaction of tetramethylarsonium iodide with dimethylzinc by A. Cahours.[3][4] For many years all the reproductions of this proved fruitless, so the production proved not to be genuine.[1][5] It was actually discovered by Karl-Heinz Mitschke and Hubert Schmidbaur in 1973.[6]
The bond lengths in the molecule are for the three equatorial As−C bonds 1.975 Å and the two axial As−C bonds 2.073 Å.[8]
The infrared spectrum of pentamethylarsenic shows strong bands at 582 and 358 cm−1 due to axial C-As vibration, and weaker bands at 265 and 297 cm−1 due to equatorial C-As vibration.[9] Raman spectrum shows a strong feature at 519, 388, and 113 cm−1, and weak lines at 570 and 300 cm−1.[9]
Reactions
Pentamethylarsenic reacts slowly with weak acids. With water it forms tetramethylarsonium hydroxide As(CH3)4OH and trimethylarsenic oxide As(CH3)3O. With methanol, tetramethylmethoxyarsorane As(CH3)4OCH3 is produced. Hydrogen halides react resulting in the formation of tetramethylarsonium halide salts.[1]
^Greene, Tim M.; Downs, Anthony J.; Pulham, Colin R.; Haaland, Arne; Verne, Hans Peter; Volden, Hans Vidar; Timofeeva, Tatjana V. (November 1998). "Molecular Structures of Pentamethylarsenic(V) and Trimethyldichloroarsenic(V) by Gas Electron Diffraction and ab Initio Calculations:? Molecular Mechanics Calculations on Pentamethylarsenic(V), Pentaphenylarsenic(V), and Related Compounds". Organometallics. 17 (24): 5287–5293. doi:10.1021/om980520r.
^Greene, Tim M.; Downs, Anthony J.; Pulham, Colin R.; Haaland, Arne; Verne, Hans Peter; Volden, Hans Vidar; Timofeeva, Tatjana V. (November 1998). "Molecular Structures of Pentamethylarsenic(V) and Trimethyldichloroarsenic(V) by Gas Electron Diffraction and ab Initio Calculations: Molecular Mechanics Calculations on Pentamethylarsenic(V), Pentaphenylarsenic(V), and Related Compounds". Organometallics. 17 (24): 5287–5293. doi:10.1021/om980520r.
^"7.3.6.3". Science of Synthesis: Houben-Weyl Methods of Molecular Transformations Vol. 7: Compounds of Groups 13 and 2 (Al, Ga, In, Tl, Be...Ba). Georg Thieme Verlag. 2014. p. 258. ISBN9783131779618.