Reactive Group Datasheet

Azo, Diazo, and Azido Compounds

What are reactive groups?

Reactive groups are categories of chemicals that typically react in similar ways because they are similar in their chemical structure. Each substance with a chemical datasheet has been assigned to one or more reactive groups, and CAMEO Chemicals uses the reactive group assignments to make its reactivity predictions. More Info...

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There are 106 chemical datasheets assigned to this reactive group.

Description

Flammability

Many Azo, Diazo, and Azido compounds are highly flammable/explosive (with flash points below 100 degrees F). Especially dangerous is diazomethane, which explodes at slightly elevated temperatures because of its instability. Methylhydrazine is especially dangerous because of its low flash point and wide flammability limits. All compounds in this group give products that include noxious NOx. Many azides, especially the heavy metal azides, easily detonate by friction, shock, or heating. Azo dyes have been known to explode as finely divided dust dispersed in the air.

Reactivity

Some materials in this group can detonate. This applies in particular to organic azides that have been sensitized by the addition of metal salts or strong acids. Toxic gases are formed by mixing materials of this class with acids, aldehydes, amides, carbamates, cyanides, inorganic fluorides, halogenated organics, isocyanates, ketones, metals, nitrides, peroxides, phenols, epoxides, acyl halides, and strong oxidizing or reducing agents. Flammable gases are formed by mixing materials in this group with alkali metals. Explosive combination can occur with strong oxidizing agents, metal salts, peroxides, and sulfides. Azo dyes can be explosive when suspended in air at specific concentrations.

Toxicity

Acutely toxic by all routes of exposure. Some of these compounds bind strongly to essential enzymes, inactivating them.

Other Characteristics

Azo compounds (RN=NR) arise from the oxidation of substituted hydrazines RHN-NHR. For example, azomethane (H3CN=NCH3) is prepared from dimethylhydrazine. The compounds are not basic in aqueous solution (because the presence of the N=N bond reduces the availability of the unshared pairs of electrons in the nitrogen atoms). They are readily reduced back to the hydrazine and further to primary amines. That is, they are good oxidizing agents. Diazo compounds contain the characteristic group >CN2. Thus, diazomethane has the formulas CH2N2. The organic azides are derivatives of hydrazoic acid, HN3. Alkyl azides, such as methyl azide, are prepared by treating sodium azide with the appropriate alkyl sulfate. Acyl azides have the formula RCON3.

Examples

Azidoacetaldehyde, azidoacetic acid, azidoacetone, aminophenylazobenzene, azobenzene, diazomethane, diazoacetonitrile, diazoacetaldehyde.

Reactivity Documentation

Click on the links below to see how this reactive group is predicted to react when it is mixed with one of the 47 reactive groups. A variety of documentation about that reactive group pair will be displayed, including predicted hazards, predicted gas byproducts, and background materials and references used to make the predictions.

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Azo, Diazo, and Azido Compounds

What are reactive groups?

Description

Reactivity Documentation