How nucleophilic are diazo compounds?

The kinetics of the reactions of benzhydryl cations with eight diazo compounds la-g were investigated photometrically in dichloromethane. The nucleophilicity parameters N and slope parameters s of these diazo compounds were derived from the equation log k (20degreesC) = s (E+N) and compared with the nucleophilicities of other pi systems (alkenes, arenes, silyl enol ethers, silyl ketene acetals). It is shown that the nucleophilic reactivities of diazo compounds cover more than ten orders of magnitude, being comparable to that of styrene on the low reactivity end and to that of enamines on the high reactivity end. The rate-determining step of these reactions is the electrophilic attack at the diazo-carbon atom to yield diazonium ions, which rapidly lose nitrogen.