Alkyl diazonium salts decomposition

Aryldiazonium salts are more stable than alkyldiazonium salts, which usually react by substitution or elimination under the conditions of their generation. Marked differences are often observed in the pattern of reactivity exhibited by diazonium salt decomposition compared with that seen in solvolysis reactions of the corresponding alkyl halides or arenesulfonates. ... 

In the presence of an alkyl iodide, selective alkyl radical addition to the C-atom of the imine generated in situ occurs, overcoming the competitive phenylation reaction (Equation 14.20) [30]. The Ph- radical, generated by decomposition of the diazonium salt, as described before, generates the alkyl radical by selective iodine atom transfer (Equation 14.21). 

The nitrosamine (121) and especially diazonium salts (122) prepared from it, as well as their alkyl and aryl derivatives, are important synthetic intermediates (b-76MI4i200, p. 325). For conditions that decide between nitrosamine function or diazotization see (73jcS(P1)13S7). At room temperature or in concentrated hydrochloric acid nitrosamines derived from triazoles are unstable, and their decomposition products include chlorotriazoles (63LA(665)144) 5-nitrosamino-3-phenyl-l,2,4-triazole affords the 5-bromo compound with hydrobromic acid at 0 °C and reacts violently with hydroiodic acid (05lA(343)i). Thermal arylation with triazole nitrosamines is possible (73jcs(pi)i357). 

Fast Operation with Unstable Intermediates. Diazotization of aromatic amines poses hazards including light, heat, and shock sensitivity, which can all lead to xmcontrolled decomposition of the diazonium salt, creating an explosion. Lower alkyl nitrites have been known to blow up the container even when refrigerated. The explosion hazard is related to the pressure increase caused by nitrogen generation and to the highly exothermic nature of the reaction. De Mello et al. minimized the transportation time between two... 

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