Tetrabutylammonium is a
quaternary ammonium cation
In chemistry, quaternary ammonium cations, also known as quats, are positively charged polyatomic ions of the structure , R being an alkyl group or an aryl group. Unlike the ammonium ion () and the primary, secondary, or tertiary ammonium cation ...
with the formula
(C4H9)4sup>+. It is used in the research laboratory to prepare lipophilic salts of inorganic anions. Relative to
tetraethylammonium derivatives, tetrabutylammonium salts are more lipophilic but crystallize less readily.
Derivatives
Some tetrabutylammonium salts of simple anions include:
*
tetrabutylammonium fluoride, a
desilylation reagent.
*
tetrabutylammonium bromide
Tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB) is a quaternary ammonium salt with a bromide commonly used as a phase transfer catalyst. It is used to prepare many other tetrabutylammonium salts by salt metathesis reactions. The anhydrous form is a white soli ...
, a precursor to other tetrabutylammonium salts via
salt metathesis reaction
A salt metathesis reaction, sometimes called a double displacement reaction, is a chemical process involving the exchange of bonds between two reacting chemical species which results in the creation of products with similar or identical bonding a ...
s.
*
tetrabutylammonium iodide
Tetrabutylammonium is a quaternary ammonium cation with the formula (C4H9)4sup>+. It is used in the research laboratory to prepare lipophilic salts of inorganic anions. Relative to tetraethylammonium derivatives, tetrabutylammonium salts are more ...
, a low cost catalyst.
*
tetrabutylammonium triiodide, a common carrier of the
triiodide
In chemistry, triiodide usually refers to the triiodide ion, . This anion, one of the polyhalogen ions, is composed of three iodine atoms. It is formed by combining aqueous solutions of iodide salts and iodine. Some salts of the anion have bee ...
anion used in chemical synthesis.
*
tetrabutylammonium hydroxide, a precursor to other tetrabutylammonium salts via acid-base reactions.
*
tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate, an electrolyte for nonaqueous electrochemistry.
Some tetrabutylammonium salts of more complex examples include:
*
polyoxometalates.
*NS.
*
metal carbonyl anions.
*Synthetic
iron-sulfur cluster
Iron–sulfur proteins (or iron–sulphur proteins in British spelling) are proteins characterized by the presence of iron–sulfur clusters containing sulfide-linked di-, tri-, and tetrairon centers in variable oxidation states. Iron–sulfur c ...
s such as
e4S4(SPh)4sup>2−
*
Octachlorodirhenate (
e2Cl8sup>2−).
[{{cite book, first1=T. J. , last1=Barder, first2=R. A., last2=Walton, title=Inorganic Syntheses, series=Inorganic Syntheses, chapter=Tetrabutylammonium Octachlorodirhenate(III), year=1990, volume=28, page=332–334, doi=10.1002/9780470132593.ch83, isbn=9780470132593]
See also
*
N-Butyllithium
References
Reagents for organic chemistry
Quaternary ammonium compounds
Cations