Quaternary (chemistry)

Comparison of quaternary with primary, secondary and tertiary central atoms.

In organic chemistry, the word " Quaternary " is a designation for four to a central atom ( carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus) bonded organic radicals ( organyl radical, such as alkyl radical, alkenyl radical, aryl radical, alkylaryl radical, etc. ).

Examples of quaternary central atoms

• A carbon atom in a alkane to which four substituents, however, no hydrogen atom is bonded,
• A nitrogen atom in a quaternary ammonium salt, are attached to the four carbon atoms or
• A phosphorus atom are bound to a quaternary phosphonium salt to the four carbon atoms.

Examples of such compounds are the alkane neopentane (2,2- dimethylpropane ), with the quaternary carbon atom in the center, the quaternary ammonium salt is tetramethylammonium bromide and said quaternary phosphonium Tetramethylphosphoniumbromid.