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quaternary ammonium compound

noun Chemistry.
  1. any of a class of salts derived from ammonium in which the nitrogen atom is attached to four organic groups, as in benzalkonium chloride; the salts are cationic surface-active compounds used as antiseptics and disinfectants.
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Origin of quaternary ammonium compound

First recorded in 1815–25
Also called quaternary ammonium salt.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for quaternary ammonium compound

quaternary ammonium compound

noun
  1. a type of ionic compound that can be regarded as derived from ammonium compounds by replacing the hydrogen atoms with organic groups
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012