Thermal analysis of arenediazonium tetrafluoroborate salts: Stability and hazardous evaluation

Arenediazonium salts represent an important class of aromatic organic compounds widely used as building blocks in academia and industry. Due to the high energy associated with the diazonium group, many of these salts are reported as thermally unstable and/or unsafe to work with. However, most of the tetrafluoroborate arenediazonium salts are fairly stable to handle at room temperature both in solution and when dry. Nevertheless, some of these salts, especially those containing heteroatoms in the aromatic moiety, are problematic for their synthesis, and some are indeed highly unstable. To bring some light on this controversial subject, the thermal stability and potential hazards of the 58 most common arenediazonium tetrafluoroborate salts used by us over the last two decades were evaluated under careful conditions. These results are expected to guide conscious decisions on the use and handling of arenediazonium tetrafluoroborates in organic synthesis.

Automated summary

Arenediazonium salts are important aromatic organic compounds used as building blocks in academia and industry. Tetrafluoroborate arenediazonium salts are generally stable at room temperature, but those containing heteroatoms in the aromatic moiety can be problematic and unstable. This study evaluated the thermal stability and potential hazards of 58 common arenediazonium tetrafluoroborate salts, providing guidance for their safe use and handling in organic synthesis.