Tetramethylammonium chloride
| Tetramethylammonium ion. Blue: nitrogen, black: carbon, white: hydrogen | |
| Names | |
|---|---|
| Preferred IUPAC name N,N,N-Trimethylmethanaminium chloride | |
| Other names Tetramethylammonium chloride Tetramethylazanium chloride | |
| Identifiers | |
| 3D model (JSmol) | |
| ChemSpider | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.000.801 | 
| PubChem CID | |
| UNII | |
| CompTox Dashboard (EPA) | |
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| Properties | |
| C4H12NCl | |
| Molar mass | 109.60 g/mol | 
| Appearance | White crystals | 
| Density | 1.17 g/cm3 | 
| Melting point | 425 °C (797 °F; 698 K) (decomposes) | 
| Solubility | Soluble in water and methanol. Slightly soluble in ethanol. Insoluble in ether, benzene, chloroform. | 
| Hazards | |
| Safety data sheet (SDS) | External MSDS | 
| Related compounds | |
| Other anions | tetramethylammonium hydroxide | 
| Other cations | tetraethylammonium chloride | 
| Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). Infobox references | |
Tetramethylammonium chloride is one of the simplest quaternary ammonium salts, with four methyl groups tetrahedrally attached to the central N. The chemical formula (CH3)4N+Cl− is often abbreviated further as Me4N+Cl−. It is a hygroscopic colourless solid that is soluble in water and polar organic solvents. Tetramethylammonium chloride is a major industrial chemical, being used widely as a chemical reagent and also as a low-residue bactericide in such processes as hydrofracking. In the laboratory, it has fewer synthetic chemical applications than quaternary ammonium salts containing longer N-alkyl substituents, which are used extensively as phase-transfer catalysts.