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Diazomethane

  • Page ID
    39597
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    Diazomethane, CH2N2, is a yellow, poisonous, potentially explosive compound, which is a gas at room temperature. The structure of diazomethane is explained using three resonance forms.

    diazomethane1.png

    In organic chemistry laboratory, diazomethane has two common uses.

    1. Conversion of carboxylic acids to methyl esters

    eg:

    diazomethane2.png

    mechanism:

    diazomethane3.png

    2. Conversion of alkenes to cyclopropanes

    eg:

    diazomethane4.png

    mechanism:

    diazomethane5.png

    see also diazonium ion


    This page titled Diazomethane is shared under a All Rights Reserved (used with permission) license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Gamini Gunawardena via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.

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