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Glite Dictionary
tetravalent

tetravalent

9.7
An atom like carbon that can form four bonds with other atoms
  • adjective
  • /ˌtɛtrəˈveɪlənt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : tetravalente
  • In organic chemistry, tetravalent atoms like carbon are central to forming diverse molecules.

Examples

  • Discovered that you could react triethylamine with an alkyl iodide and generate the salt and tetravalent ammonium salt as an iodide.

  • Carbon is considered tetravalent because it can form four bonds with other atoms.

  • It's going to oxidize this manganese hydroxide to this tetravalent manganic species.

  • The tetravalent nature of silicon allows it to bond with four other atoms, making it versatile in compounds.

Synonyms

quadrivalent
vstetravalent
  • Specialized
8.7

Able to form four bonds with other atoms

is the same meaning but lacks the explicit chemistry tag

How Many Bonds

polyvalent
  • Specialized
9.1
tetravalent
  • Specialized
9.7
trivalent
  • Specialized
1 8.6
divalent
  • Specialized
8.9
monovalent
  • Specialized
9.1

Surface Forms

tetravalent positive

Morphology

tetravalent = valent (transparent) = tetra + valent

Formed by the numeral combining form 'tetra-' (four) plus 'valent' (having valence), yielding the straightforward meaning 'having valence of four'.

Etymology

The word tetravalent comes from the parts tetra- meaning 'four' and -valent meaning 'having the power to join', as in valence. So a tetravalent atom is one that can 'form' or 'make' four chemical bonds.