National Toxicology Program

Selected information from two of the National Library of Medicine's databases: ChemIDPlus¹ and HSDB².

Structure

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Chemical Properties²

Property	Description
Color/Form	Colorless hexagonal crystals Colorless to white, crystalline solid
Odor	Odorless
Taste	None found
Boiling Point	None found
Melting Point	275 deg C (decomp)
Molecular Weight	65.010
Corrosivity	VERY CORROSIVE TO ALUMINUM, MODERATE TO COPPER & LEAD
Critical Temperature & Pressure	None found
Density/Specific Gravity	1.846 @ 20 DEG C
Disassociation Constants	pK= 4.8, aq solns contains NH3 which escapes readily at 37 deg C.
Heat of Combustion	None found
Heat of Vaporization	None found
log P (octanol-water)	None found
pH	None found
Solubilities	Slightly soluble in ethanol, insoluble in ethyl ether Insol in ether; sol in liq ammonia Sol 40.16% @ 10 deg C, and 41.7% @ 17 deg C in water Slightly sol in alcohol @ 25 deg C In water, 41.0 g/100 ml @15 deg C
Spectral Properties	None found
Surface Tension	None found
Vapor Density	None found
Vapor Pressure	1 Pa @ 20 deg C
Relative Evaporation Rate	None found
Viscosity	None found
Other Properties	DECOMP @ 275 DEG C TO SODIUM AND NITROGEN. DECOMP IN VACUUM. Sodium azide reacts vigorously with water. Thermal decomposition occurs at 300 deg C with formation of sodium metal and nitrogen.

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Uses²

• ... In the prepn of hydrazoic acid, lead azide, pure sodium.
  
• Herbicide, fungicide, nematocide, soil fumigant
  
• PREPLANT INCORPORATION: THIS MODE OF APPLICATION ... USED WITH THE HIGHER LEVELS OF SODIUM AZIDE FOR BROAD-SPECTRUM WEED CONTROL & GENERAL "FUMIGANT" ACTION AGAINST SOIL MICROORGANISMS & INSECTS. ... POSTEMERGENCE: AQ SPRAY ... USED TO DEFOLIATE COTTON & AS A DIRECT TREATMENT TO CONTROL WEEDS IN TOLERANT CROPS.
  
• FOR CONTROL OF AQUATIC WEEDS IN RICE; FOR CONTROL OF DISEASES IN PEANUTS, TOMATOES, GREEN BEANS, STRAWBERRIES, ORNAMENTALS, & MANY OTHER FRUIT & VEGETABLE CROPS; FOR SOIL FUMIGATION & TURF RENOVATION.
  
• SODIUM AZIDE IS A BROAD-SPECTRUM BIOCIDE, SHOWING FUNGICIDAL, BACTERICIDAL, NEMATICIDAL & INSECTICIDAL ACTIVITY.
  
• Intermediate in organic synthesis
  
• ... Used for stabilization of aqueous prealbumin in fractions (isolated from human serum) during storage....
  
• ... The preparation of human blood samples for analysis of acetaldehyde and ethanol ... .
  
• ... Enhancement of interleukin-2 production.
  
• A /diagnostic/ method using sodium azide ... is proposed as a new and simple means of measuring tocopherol deficiency in erythrocyte membranes.
  
• As preservative for laboratory reagents ... As propellant for inflating automotive safety bags.
  
• One of the reagents required for the determination of dissolved oxygen in polluted water is a soln of sodium azide in 50% sulfuric acid.
  
• The chemical industry has used sodium azide as a retarder in the manufacture of sponge rubber, to prevent coagulation of styrene and butadiene latexes stored in contact with metals, and to decompose nitrites in the presence of nitrates.
  
• Used as a preservative for seeds and wine; used by lumber industry to limit the growth of enzymes responsible for formation of brown stain on sugar pine; used by Japanese beer industry to prevent growth of a fungus which darkens its product
  
• Air-bag inflation, preservative in diagnostic medicinals, intermediate in explosive manufacture
  
• ... Starting material for other metal azides. ... Used in automobile safety devices, e.g. steering-wheel air bags ... .
  
• Used in the Curtis reaction for the production of amines.
  
• Sensitive probe for studies of the electrostatic interactions between charged sites in myoglobin.
  
• ... Preservative found in manufactured antisera.
  
• PRESERVATIVE IN DIAGNOSTIC MEDICINALS
  

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Superlist Classes¹

• Ceiling 0.29 mg/m3 as sodium azide; Not classifiable as a human carcinogen
  
• Ceiling (0.11 ppm as hydrazoic acid vapor); Not classifiable as a human carcinogen
  
• Reportable Quantity (RQ) = 1000 lb
  
• Threshold Planning Quantity (TPQ) = 500 lb
  

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Notes (Sources: NTP,HSDB,RTECS,MESH)¹

• None found

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Other Registry Numbers¹

• 108592-00-3
  
• 12136-89-9
  
• 157302-08-4
  
• 20828-18-6
  
• 503002-54-8
  
• 575502-02-2
  

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Synonyms (Sources: NTP, HSDB,RTECS,MESH)¹

• U-3886
• Azide, sodium
• HSDB 695
• Hydrazoic acid, sodium salt
• Kazoe
• NCI-C06462
• Nemazyd
• NSC 3072
• RCRA waste number P105
• Smite

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Links to Additional Information¹

• CCRIS
• DART
• DrugPortal
• EINECS
• EMIC
• GENETOX
• HSDB
• IRIS
• ITER
• MeSH Heading
• MeSH
• PubChem
• PubMed
• TOXLINE
• TOXMAP
• TRI2000
• TRI2001
• TRI2002
• TRI2003
• TRI2004
• TRI2005
• TRI95
• TRI96
• TRI97
• TRI98
• TRI99
• WebWISER
• PubMed AIDS
• PubMed Toxicology
• PubMed Cancer
• TRI2006
• TRI2007
• TRI2007
• TRI2007
• TRI2007
• TRI2007
• TRI2008
• TRI2008
• PubMed Mob
• HSDB Mob
• TRI2010
• TRI2009
• TOXLINE Mob
• Haz-Map

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Footnotes

¹ Source: the National Library of Medicine's ChemIDPlus, 11/28/2012.

² Source: the National Library of Medicine's Hazardous Substance Database, 11/28/2012.