Tetraazidomethane (1) is extremely
dangerous as a pure substance. It can explode at any time—
without a recognizable cause. Less than a drop of this
compound isolated by gas chromatography is able to destroy
completely not only the glass trap but also the vacuum Dewar
flask of the cooling bath. Therefore, the isolated substance
should only be diluted by vapor deposition of a solvent behind
a safety shield rather than by manual handling (with a pipette
or syringe). However, solutions of 1 can also lead to an
explosion after mechanical stress (swivel closure) or after
evaporation of a volatile solvent, for example, in a pipette.
Finally, it should be considered that 3, 5, and 7 are also
explosive azides. |