Hydrazones are susceptible to hydrolysis:
Alkyl hydrazones are 10- to 10-fold more sensitive to hydrolysis than analogous oximes.
When derived from hydrazine itself, hydrazones condense with a second equivalent of a carbonyl to give azines:
Hydrazones are intermediates in the Wolff–Kishner reduction.
Hydrazones are reactants in hydrazone iodination, the Shapiro reaction, and the Bamford-Stevens reaction to vinyl compounds. Hydrazones can also be synthesized by the Japp–Klingemann reaction via β-keto acids or β-keto-esters and aryl diazonium salts. Hydrazones are converted to azines when used in the preparation of 3,5-disubstituted 1H-pyrazoles, a reaction also well known using hydrazine hydrate. With a transition metal catalyst, hydrazones can serve as organometallic reagent surrogates to react with various electrophiles.