• Preferred to phosphines as a ligand in certain metal-catalyzed coupling reactions, e.g. in the Pd catalyzed Stille coupling of aryl stannanes with aryl halides: Tetrahedron Lett., 36, 2191 (1995), of silylated allylic stannanes with alkyl halides: J. Org. Chem., 60, 4647 (1995), the Pd catalyzed homocoupling of organostannanes: Synth. Commun., 27, 641 (1997), the Pd catalyzed coupling of aryl- or alkynylzinc chlorides with alkenyl halides: Synlett, 344 (1995), or the Suzuki coupling of arylboronic acids with sensitive halides: Org. Synth., 75, 69 (1997).
• Can be cleaved to sodium diphenylarsenide by Na metal. A mole of PhNa is also produced, but can be selectively destroyed by protonation with NH4Br: Chem. Ber., 100, 1230 (1967). For use in the preparation of chelating ligands, see: Synthesis, 350 (1979). Similarly, Li metal gives Li diphenylarsenide: J. Org. Chem., 32, 2627 (1967). For a review of the chemistry of metal arsenides, see: Synthesis, 328 (1974).