Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. In chemistry, the phosphonium cation is a positively charged polyatomic ion with the chemical formula PH4+, resulting from protonation of phosphine. It has a molar mass of 35.01 g/mol. Salts containing alkyl or aryl groups attached to a positive phosphorus are referred to as phosphonium salts. Alkyltriphenylphosphonium salts are widely used for the preparation of Wittig reagents for the Wittig reaction. An ion is an atom or molecule in which the total number of electrons is not equal to the total number of protons, giving it a net positive or negative electrical charge. An anion is an ion with more electrons than protons, giving it a net negative charge (since electrons are negatively charged and protons are positively charged). Conversely, a cation is an ion with more protons than electrons.