In chemistry, an onium ion is a cation formally obtained by the protonation of mononuclear parent hydride of a pnictogen (group 15 of the periodic table), chalcogen (group 16), or halogen (group 17). The oldest-known onium ion, and the namesake for the class, is ammonium, NH+4, the protonated derivative of ammonia, NH3.[1][2]
The name onium is also used for cations that would result from the substitution of hydrogen atoms in those ions by other groups, such as organic radicals, or halogens; such as tetraphenylphosphonium, (C6H5)4P+. The substituent groups may be divalent or trivalent, yielding ions such as iminium and nitrilium.[1][2]
A simple onium ion has a charge of +1. A larger ion that has two onium ion subgroups is called a double onium ion, and has a charge of +2. A triple onium ion has a charge of +3, and so on.
Compounds of an onium cation and some other negative ion are known as onium compounds or onium salts.
Onium ions and onium compounds are inversely analogous to -ate ions and ate complexes:
- Lewis bases form onium ions when the central atom gains one more bond and becomes a positive cation.
- Lewis acids form -ate ions when the central atom gains one more bond and becomes a negative anion.[3]
Simple onium cations (hydrides with no substitutions)
Group 15 (pnictogen) onium cations
Group 16 (chalcogen) onium cations
Group 14 (carbon group) onium cations
- carbonium ions, protonated hydrocarbons, having a pentavalent carbon atom with a +1 charge
- alkanium cations, CnH+2n+3 (protonated alkanes)
- methanium, CH+5 (protonated methane) (Sometimes called carbonium, because it is the simplest member of that class, but that use is deprecated because of multiple definitions [1]. Sometimes called methonium, but methonium also has multiple definitions. Abundant in outer space.)
- ethanium, C2H+7 (protonated ethane)
- propanium, C3H+9 (propane protonated on an unspecified carbon)
- propylium, or propan-1-ylium (propane protonated on an end carbon)
- propan-2-ylium (propane protonated on the middle carbon)
- butanium, C4H+11 (butane protonated on an unspecified carbon)
- n-butanium (n-butane protonated on an unspecified carbon)
- n-butylium, or n-butan-1-ylium (n-butane protonated on an end carbon)
- n-butan-2-ylium (n-butane protonated on a middle carbon)
- isobutanium (isobutane protonated on an unspecified carbon)
- isobutylium, or isobutan-1-ylium (isobutane protonated on an end carbon)
- isobutan-2-ylium (isobutane protonated on the middle carbon)
- octonium or octanium, C8H+19 (protonated octane)
- alkenium cations, CnH+2n+1 (n >= 2) (protonated alkenes)
- alkynium cations, CnH+2n-1 (n >= 2) (protonated alkynes)
- ethynium, C2H+3 (protonated ethyne)
- silanium (sometimes silonium), SiH+5 (protonated silane. Should not be called siliconium.[2])
- further silanium cations, SinH+2n+3 (protonated silanes)
- disilanium, Si2H+7 (protonated disilane)
- germonium, GeH+5 (protonated germane)
- stannonium, SnH+3 (protonated SnH2; not protonated stannane SnH4)
- plumbonium, PbH+3 (protonated PbH2)
Group 13 (boron group) onium cations
- boronium cation, BH+4 (protonated borane)
- further boronium cations, BxH+y (protonated boranes)
Group 18 (noble gas) onium cations
Hydrogen onium cation
- hydrogenonium, better known as trihydrogen cation, H+3 (protonated [molecular] or [diatomic] hydrogen), found in ionized hydrogen and interstellar space
Onium cations with monovalent substitutions
- primary ammonium cations, RH3N+ or RNH+3 (protonated primary amines)
- secondary ammonium cations, R2NH+2 (protonated secondary amines)
- dimethylammonium (sometimes dimethylaminium), (CH3)2NH+2 (protonated dimethylamine)
- diethylammonium (sometimes diethylaminium), (C2H5)2NH+2 (protonated diethylamine)
- ethylmethylammonium, C2H5CH3NH+2 (protonated ethylmethylamine)
- diethanolammonium (sometimes diethanolaminium), (C2H4OH)2NH+2 (protonated diethanolamine)
- tertiary ammonium cations, R3NH+ (protonated tertiary amines)
- quaternary ammonium cations, R4N+ or NR+4
- quaternary phosphonium cations, R4P+ or PR+4
- tetraphenylphosphonium, (C6H5)4P+
- secondary sulfonium cations, R2SH+ (protonated sulfides)
- tertiary sulfonium cations, R3S+
- secondary fluoronium cations, R2F+
- dichlorofluoronium, Cl2F+
- trifluoroxenonium, XeF+3 (XeF2 is neutral.)
Onium cations with polyvalent substitutions
- secondary ammonium cations having one double-bonded substitution, R=NH2+
- diazenium, HN=NH2+ (protonated diazene)
- guanidinium, (H2N)2C=NH2+ (protonated guanidine) (has a resonance structure)
- quaternary ammonium cations having one double-bonded substitution and two single-bonded substitutions, R=NR2+
- iminium, R2C=NR2+ (substituted protonated imine)
- diazenium, RN=NR2+ (substituted protonated diazene)
- quaternary ammonium cations having two double-bonded substitutions, R=N=R+
- tertiary ammonium cations having one triple-bonded substitution, R≡NH+
- tertiary ammonium cations having two partially double-bonded substitutions, RNH+R
- quaternary ammonium cations having one triple-bonded substitution and one single-bonded substitution, R≡NR+
- tertiary oxonium cations having one triple-bonded substitution, R≡O+
- tertiary oxonium cations having two partially double-bonded substitutions, RO+R
- tertiary sulfonium cations having one triple-bonded substitution, R≡S+
Double onium dications
- hydrazinediium or hydrazinium(2+) dication, +H3NNH+3 (doubly protonated hydrazine)
- diazenium dication, +H2N=NH+2 (doubly protonated diazene)
- diazonium dication, +HN≡NH+ (doubly protonated [di]nitrogen)
Enium cations
The extra bond is added to a less-common parent hydride, a carbene analog, typically named -ene or -ylene, which is neutral with 2 fewer bonds than the more-common hydride, typically named -ane or -ine.
Ynium cations
- carbynium ions, protonated carbynes, have a divalent carbon atom with a +1 charge
External links
References