guanidinium
|gua-ni-di-um|
/ˌɡwænɪˈdɪniəm/
protonated guanidine (cation)
Etymology
'guanidinium' originates from Neo-Latin/modern chemical usage, specifically the word 'guanidine', where 'guanidine' ultimately comes from Spanish 'guanidina' and originally from Quechua 'wanu' meaning 'guano' (bird excrement used as fertilizer).
'guanidinium' changed from the 19th-century chemical term 'guanidine' (used for the neutral base isolated from guano) and acquired the Neo-Latin suffix '-ium' to denote the protonated/cationic form, eventually becoming the modern chemical name 'guanidinium'.
Initially, the root referred to a substance isolated from guano; over time the term evolved so that 'guanidinium' denotes the protonated cation form of guanidine in modern chemistry.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the positively charged ion (cation) derived from guanidine, typically written as [C(NH2)3]+; commonly referred to as the guanidinium ion.
Guanidinium chloride is a strong chaotropic agent that denatures proteins by disrupting hydrogen bonds.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/25 01:32