Hydrogens attached at terminal acetylenes exhibit greater acidity than hydrogens in alkanes or alkenes. Use of strong base such as sodium amide (NaNH2) will remove the terminal proton leaving behind the very reactive acetylide ion. Sodium hydroxide is not a strong enough base for this purpose. This acetylide ion is both a strong base and a strong nucleophile and will be discussed in the context of nucleophilic substitution reactions in chapter 10 of Brown's Organic Chemistry.
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