They are also prone to undergo homolytic cleavage to form alkyl radicals, the nitrite C–O bond being very weak (on the order of 40–50 kcal ⋅ mol−1).
ðeɪ ɑːɹ ˈɔːlsoʊ pɹˈoʊn tʊ ˌʌndɚɡˈoʊ hˌɑːməlˈɪɾɪk klˈiːvɪdʒ tə fˈɔːɹm ˈælkaɪl ɹˈædɪkəlz, ðə nˈaɪtɹaɪt sˈiː ˈoʊ bˈɑːnd bˌiːɪŋ vˈɛɹi wˈiːk ɔnðɪ ˈɔːɹdɚɹ ʌv fˈoːɹɾi fˈɪfti kˈeɪkˈæl mˈɑːl mˈaɪnəs wˈʌn.