What is "ylide"

n. (context organic chemistry English) Any organic compound in which two adjacent atoms are connected by both a covalent bond and an ionic bond; normally written X⁺-Y^-

An ylide or ylid ( or ) is a neutral dipolar molecule containing a formally negatively charged atom (usually a carbanion) directly attached to a heteroatom with a formal positive charge (usually nitrogen, phosphorus or sulfur), and in which both atoms have full octets of electrons. Ylides are thus 1,2- dipolar compounds. They appear in organic chemistry as reagents or reactive intermediates.

The class name "ylide" for the compound should not be confused with the suffix "-ylide".