Nitrogen-bound diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolates (diazeniumdiolates, "NONOates", "solid NO") are generally prepared from secondary amines and nitric oxide and are compounds of first choice for the direct release of nitric oxide (NO). First, we report on the relationships between the structures of the amines and the formation rates of the corresponding NONOates, second on the structures of the NONOates and the rate of NO release and finally between the rates of NONOate formation and NO release from these species. A series of differently sized and substituted cyclic and aliphatic amines were used to quantify the reactivity of amines towards NO by monitoring the decrease in NO pressure with the NOtizer, an apparatus developed for this study. The release of NO was measured amperometrically with an NO-sensitive electrode and the half-lives of novel diazeniumdiolates were determined by UV spectroscopy. It was found that steric hindrance