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Source: Quaternary compound

In chemistry, a quaternary compound is a compound consisting of exactly four chemical elements.
In another use of the term in organic chemistry, a quaternary compound is or has a cation consisting of a central positively charged atom with four substituents, especially organic (alkyl and aryl) groups, discounting hydrogen atoms.
The best-known quaternary compounds are quaternary ammonium salts, having a nitrogen atom at the center. For example, in the following reaction, the nitrogen atom is said to be quaternized as it has gone from 3 to 4 substituents:

R

3

N
+
RCl
⟶

R

4

N

+

Cl

−

{\displaystyle {\ce {R3N + RCl -> R4N+Cl-}}}

Other examples include substituted phosphonium salts (R4P+), substituted arsonium salts (R4As+) like arsenobetaine, as well as some arsenic-containing superconductors. Substituted stibonium (R4Sb+) and bismuthonium salts (R4Bi+) have also been described.