Editing Azide (section)

=== Microbial inhibitor and undesirable side effects ===
Sodium azide is commonly used in the laboratory as a [[bacteriostatic]] agent to avoid microbial proliferation in [[abiotic]] control experiments in which it is important to avoid microbial activity. However, it has the disadvantage to be prone to trigger unexpected and undesirable side reactions that can jeopardize the experimental results. Indeed, the azide anion is a [[nucleophile]] and a [[Redox|redox-active]] species. Being prone to [[disproportionation]], it can behave both as an [[oxidizing agent| oxidizing]] and as a [[reducing agent]]. Therefore, it is susceptible to interfere in an unpredictable way with many substances.<ref name="Rozycki1981">{{cite journal | last1=Rozycki | first1=Michael | last2=Bartha | first2=Richard | date=1981 | title=Problems associated with the use of azide as an inhibitor of microbial activity in soil | journal=Applied and Environmental Microbiology | volume=41 | issue=3 | pages=833–836 | issn=0099-2240 | pmid=16345743 | pmc=243784 | doi=10.1128/aem.41.3.833-836.1981}}</ref><ref name="Lindner1984">{{cite journal | last1=Lindner | first1=Pinhas | last2=Shomer | first2=Ilan | year=1984 | title=Interference of azide in assays of carbohydrates | journal=Food Chemistry | volume=14 | issue=2 | pages=141–153 | issn=0308-8146 | doi=10.1016/0308-8146(84)90053-0}}</ref><ref name="Goel2003">{{cite journal | last1=Goel | first1=Ramesh K | last2=Cooper | first2=Adrienne T | last3=Flora | first3=Joseph R.V | date=2003-09-01 | title=Sodium azide interference in chemical and biological testing | journal=Journal of Environmental Engineering and Science | volume=2 | issue=5 | pages=407–411 | issn=1496-2551 | doi=10.1139/s03-043}}</ref> For example, the azide anion can [[Redox|oxidize]] [[pyrite]] ({{Chem2|FeS2}}) with the formation of [[thiosulfate]] ({{Chem2|S2O3(2-)}}), or [[Redox|reduce]] [[quinone]] into [[hydroquinone]].<ref name="Hendrix2019">{{cite journal | last1=Hendrix | first1=Katrien | last2=Bleyen | first2=Nele | last3=Mennecart | first3=Thierry | last4=Bruggeman | first4=Christophe | last5=Valcke | first5=Elie | title=Sodium azide used as microbial inhibitor caused unwanted by-products in anaerobic geochemical studies | journal=Applied Geochemistry | volume=107 | year=2019 | issn=0883-2927 | doi=10.1016/j.apgeochem.2019.05.014 | pages=120–130}}</ref> It can also reduce [[nitrite]] {{Chem2|NO2-}} into [[nitrous oxide]] {{Chem2|N2O}}, and {{Chem2|Fe(2+)}} into {{Chem2|Fe^{0}|}} ([[zerovalent iron]], ZVI).<ref name="Hendrix2019" /> Azide can also enhance the {{N2O}} emission in soil. A proposed explanation is the stimulation of the denitrification processes because of the azide’s role in the synthesis of denitrifying enzymes.<ref name="Aulakh1985">{{cite journal | last1=Aulakh | first1=M. S. | last2=Rennie | first2=D. A. | date=1985-02-01 | title=Azide effects upon N<sub>2</sub>O emission and transformations of N in soils | journal=Canadian Journal of Soil Science | volume=65 | issue=1 | pages=205–212 | issn=0008-4271 | doi=10.4141/cjss85-021}}</ref> Moreover, azide also affects the [[absorbance]] and [[fluorescence]] optical properties of the [[Dissolved organic carbon|dissolved organic matter]] (DOM) from [[soil]]s.<ref name="RetellettiBrogi2019">{{cite journal | last1=Retelletti Brogi | first1=Simona | last2=Derrien | first2=Morgane | last3=Hur | first3=Jin | date=2019 | title=In-depth assessment of the effect of sodium azide on the optical properties of dissolved organic matter | journal=Journal of Fluorescence | volume=29 | issue=4 | pages=877–885 | issn=1053-0509 | doi=10.1007/s10895-019-02398-w}}</ref> Many other interferences are reported in the literature for [[Biochemistry|biochemical]] and [[Biology|biological]] analyses and they should be systematically identified and first rigorously tested in the laboratory before to use azide as [[bacteriostatic|microbial inhibitor]] for a given application.