They are very sensitive explosives that have to be handled at low temperatures in an atmosphere consisting of an inert gas.

Lithium and sodium ozonide are extremely labile and must be prepared by low-temperature ion exchange starting from CsO3.

Sodium ozonide, NaO3, which is prone to decomposition into NaOH and NaO2, was previously thought to be impossible to obtain in pure form.

[2] However, with the help of cryptands and methylamine, pure sodium ozonide may be obtained as red crystals isostructural to NaNO2.

[8][9] They usually appear in the form of foul-smelling oily liquids, and rapidly decompose in the presence of water to carbonyl compounds: aldehydes, ketones, peroxides.