Reactivity Documentation
Quaternary Ammonium and Phosphonium Salts |
mixed with |
Nitrides, Phosphides, Carbides, and Silicides |
Summary
- Flammable: Reaction products may be flammable
- Generates gas: Reaction liberates gaseous products and may cause pressurization
- Generates heat: Exothermic reaction at ambient temperatures (releases heat)
- Intense or explosive reaction: Reaction may be particularly intense, violent, or explosive
- Toxic: Reaction products may be toxic
-
May produce the following gases:
- Ammonia
Details
Reactivity Predictions (for each pair of reactive groups)
Quaternary Ammonium and Phosphonium Salts
Hazard Predictions
- Flammable: Reaction products may be flammable
- Generates gas: Reaction liberates gaseous products and may cause pressurization
- Generates heat: Exothermic reaction at ambient temperatures (releases heat)
- Intense or explosive reaction: Reaction may be particularly intense, violent, or explosive
- Toxic: Reaction products may be toxic
Many quaternary ammonium and phosphonium salts are hygroscopic and often are purchased as aqueous solutions. In aqueous or "wet" form, these materials will be incompatible with nitrides, phosphides, carbides, and silicides. Many nitrides react with moisture to evolve gaseous ammonia, which is toxic and combustible. Phosphides react quickly upon contact with moisture or acids to give the very toxic gas phosphine. Inorganic amides react with moisture to evolve ammonia. Inorganic carbides react with water to generate flammable hydrocarbon gases. The transition metal nitrides react violently with water forming the metal hydroxides and ammonia.
Sodium amide (NaNH2) can promote the Sommelet-Hauser rearrangement, in which a benzyl group on a quaternary ammonium ion inserts into the C-N bond of another substituent, resulting in a potentially flammable tertiary amine (Dery, M. 2000. Quaternary Ammonium Compounds. Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology).
Potential Gas Byproducts
- Ammonia (NH3)