Vigorous condensation can produce more energy than the surroundings can safely carry away. This could cause a fire or explosion, or rupture closed containers. Few common pure chemicals undergo vigorous condensation by themselves. Some members of the aldehyde chemical family, including butyraldehyde and acetaldehyde, condense vigorously, but bases or sometimes strong acids must also be present. Some commercial products sold to be mixed for specialized applications may undergo vigorous condensation if they are not stored, handled and used as directed by the chemical supplier.
Decomposition is a chemical change in which a molecule breaks down into simpler molecules.
Vigorous decomposition is potentially hazardous because large amounts of energy can be released very quickly. This could result in a fire or explosion, or rupture a closed container causing the release of dangerous decomposition products. Some pure materials are so chemically unstable that they vigorously decompose at room temperature by themselves. For example, some organics are relatively safe only when refrigerated or diluted. Materials in this group are chemically very unstable.