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 cat ...
with the formula
(C4H9)4sup>+. It is used in the research laboratory to prepare lipophilic salts of inorganic anions. Relative to
tetraethylammonium
Tetraethylammonium (TEA), () or (Et4N+) is a quaternary ammonium cation consisting of four ethyl groups attached to a central nitrogen atom, and is positively charged. It is a counterion used in the research laboratory to prepare lipophilic salts ...
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, 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, 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 been ...
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 clusters 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
''n''-Butyllithium C4H9Li (abbreviated ''n''-BuLi) is an organolithium reagent. It is widely used as a polymerization initiator in the production of elastomers such as polybutadiene or styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS). Also, it is broadly emp ...
References
Reagents for organic chemistry
Quaternary ammonium compounds
Cations