Ethanium

In chemistry, ethanium or protonated ethane is a highly reactive positive ion with formula C
2H+
7. It can be described as a molecule of ethane (C
2H
6) with one extra proton (hydrogen nucleus), that gives it a +1 electric charge.

Ethanium is one of the simplest carbonium ions (after methanium CH+
5). It was first detected as a rarefied gas in 1960 by S. Wexler and N. Jesse. It easily dissociates into ethenium C
2H+
5 and molecular hydrogen H
2.