Tetrabutylammonium chloride is the organic compound with the chemical formula , often abbreviated as , where Bu stands for n-butyl. It is a white crystalline solid. It is soluble in water. It is a quaternary ammonium salt. It consists of tetrabutylammonium cations and chloride anions .
It sees use as a phase-transfer catalyst, although it is less popular that the corresponding bromine salt TBAB. It can also undergo salt metathesis reactions to form a variety of other tetrabutylammonium salts. Often tetrabutylammonium bromide is preferred as a source of tetrabutylammonium because it is less hygroscopic than the chloride.
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