Methyl azide

Methyl azide is an organic compound with the formula. It is a white solid and it is the simplest organic azide.

Preparation and properties

Methyl azide can be prepared by the methylation of sodium azide, for instance with dimethyl sulfate in alkaline solution, followed by passing through a tube of anhydrous calcium chloride or sodium hydroxide to remove contaminating hydrazoic acid. The first synthesis was reported in 1905.
Decomposition to a nitrene is a first-order reaction:
The product, like its notional tautomer methanimine, polymerizes at room temperature.
Methyl azide might be a potential precursor in the synthesis of prebiotic molecules via nonequilibrium reactions on interstellar ices initiated by energetic galactic cosmic rays and photons.

Safety precautions

Methyl azide is stable at ambient temperature but may explode when heated or disturbed. Presence of mercury increases the sensitivity to shock and spark. It is incompatible with methanol and dimethyl malonate. When heated to decomposition, it emits toxic fumes of. It can be stored indefinitely in the dark at −80 °C.