Introduction: As one of azide salts, lead azide is well known, because it is used as a detonator for air bags of automobiles. Recently, sodium azide has been frequently used for suicides and homicidal attempts. In this chapter, therefore, analytical methods are described only for sodium azide. Sodium azidea is being well used as an antiseptic (preservative)b in biochemical researches and as a material for synthesis of organic compounds. It can be also used as a pesticide (herbicide), disinfectant for soil and antiseptic for lumbers; there had been no regulation for its use in spite of its high toxicity. . | Sodium azide by Hitoshi Tsuchihashi and Akihiro Miki Introduction As one of azide salts lead azide is well known because it is used as a detonator for air bags of automobiles. Recently sodium azide has been frequently used for suicides and homicidal attempts. In this chapter therefore analytical methods are described only for sodium azide. Sodium azidea is being well used as an antiseptic preservative b in biochemical researches and as a material for synthesis of organic compounds. It can be also used as a pesticide herbicide disinfectant for soil and antiseptic for lumbers there had been no regulation for its use in spite of its high toxicity. However in response to a series of imitative poisoning incidents including many with sodium azide taking place in Japan 1998 sodium azide was designated as a poisonous substance in January 1999 the handling and management of the compound has become strictly controlled by the Poisonous and Deleterious Substances Control Law in Japan. Analysis by the Conway diffusion methodc-ion chromatography Reagents and their preparation A amount of NaOH is dissolved in ultrapure water to prepare 100 mL solution M . A 10-mL volume of concentrated sulfuric acid is carefully diluted 10-fold with ultrapure water to prepare 100 mL 10 solution. Ion chromatographic conditions Column an lonPac AS15 column 25 cm x 4 mm . Dionex Sunnyvale CA USA guard column an lonPac AG15 column 5 cm x 4 mm . Dionex . Mobile phase 40 mM KOH solution at a flow rate of mL min. Instrumental conditions instrument a DX 500 ion chromatograph with an autosuppressor d ASRS 4 mm supplied current 100 mV detector a CD 20 conductivity detector all from Dionex . Procedure i. A volume of M NaOH solution is placed in the central round basin of a Conway microdiffusion cellc. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005 630 Sodium azide ii. A specimen such as fruit juice or urine is placed in the outer groove of the cell without any dilution .
