phosphoniumn.
/ˌfɒsˈfəʊnɪəm/, U.S. /ˌfɑsˈfoʊniəm/ Chemistry.
The ion PH4+, analogous to ammonium; a substituted form of this. Usually attributive or as a formative element in chemical names.
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phosphonium1859
phosphine1870
phosphonitrile1921
phosphorane1952
tepa1953
phosphosilicate1964
1859 A. W. Hofmann in Proc. Royal Soc. 9 289 The two substances unite in equal amounts, the product of the reaction being the bromide of a phosphonium.
1871 Jrnl. Chem. Soc. 24 570 Hofmann considers that Drechsel and Finkelstein had tertiary and quaternary phosphonium salts under examination, and not a salt of the primary phosphine.
1938 R. Hum Chem. for Engin. Students xxiv. 663 Pure phosphine can be prepared by the action of sodium hydroxide upon phosphonium iodide.
1988 F. A. Cotton & G. Wilkinson Adv. Inorg. Chem. (ed. 5) xi. 405 The best-known phosphonium salt is the iodide, which is formed as colorless crystals on mixing of gaseous HI and PH3.
1999 C. Mendelson Home Comforts xv. 228/1 When cotton sleepwear has been treated with flame retardants, this typically is done with tetrakis hydroxymethyl phosphonium (THP) salts.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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