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quaternary ammonium compound

noun Chemistry.

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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Nearby words

  1. quat.,
  2. quater,
  3. quatercentenary,
  4. quatercentennial,
  5. quaternary,
  6. quaternary structure,
  7. quaternate,
  8. quaternion,
  9. quaternity,
  10. quathlamba

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. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for quaternary ammonium compound

quaternary ammonium compound

noun

a type of ionic compound that can be regarded as derived from ammonium compounds by replacing the hydrogen atoms with organic groups
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