Diazotization with nitrosonium salts

Milner (1992) recently described a novel and versatile modification of the Balz-Schiemann reaction. The amine is diazotized with solid nitrosonium tetrafluoro-borate in CH2C12 and, without isolation, the diazonium salt is heated and yields the fluoroarene in good yield. The method is also applicable to aniline derivatives bearing carboxy and hydroxy substituents, compounds which give poor yields in the classical procedure. 

R—N=N. This procedure is called diazotization of an amine. Diazonium salts are the most useful products obtained from the reactions of amines with nitrous acid. The mechanism for diazonium salt formation begins with a nucleophilic attack on the nitrosonium ion to form an A-nitrosoamine. 

Primary amines react with a nitrosonium ion to yield a diazo-nium salt in a process called diazotization. 

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