Oxonium Ion

An oxonium ion is a species containing an oxygen atom that has an octet of valence electrons, but bears a formal charge of +1. E.g.,

Some oxonium ions are resonance stabilized, in which case not all resonance forms of the species fit the above definition, e.g.:

Alternatively, the above species is a hybrid of an oxonium ion and a carbocation.

Contributors and Attributions

• Gamini Gunawardena from the OChemPal site (Utah Valley University)