benzalkonium

noun

benz·​al·​ko·​ni·​um

ˌben-zal-ˈkō-nē-əm

plural -s

: a mixture of alkyl-benzyl-dimethyl-ammonium radicals C₆H₅CH₂N(CH₃)₂R in which the alkyl groups range from C₈H₁₇ to C₁₈H₃₇

Word History

Etymology

benz- + alkyl + ammonium

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