A large number of azodicarboxylates and their derivatives are produced and used in the chemical industries. The versatile applications of these azodicarboxylates in research institutes and in the chemical industries for chemical synthesis arouse additional hazards. The intent of this paper is to obtain first knowledge about the structure-response relationship regarding the explosive properties and the thermal hazards of different versatile used azodicarboxylates. The substances are examined with the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Furthermore, different laboratory test methods, based on the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, are applied to determine the explosive properties of the mentioned substances. On the basis of the obtained results, the known influence of the nitrogen content within the molecule regarding their thermal behaviour could be confirmed. The measured heat of decomposition appeared to be proportional to the nitrogen content within the group of the aliphatic and the aromatic azodicarboxylates. To emphasize this dependency, further investigations should be done. The long term objective of this research is to develop structure response relationships of the explosive properties and the thermal hazards originating from azodicarboxylates. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.