a trivalent carbon that bears a negative charge
This is an abbreviation of " carbon anion", and is applied to negatively charged ions that are believed to occur during organic reactions. The carbanion then reacts with positive species to produce new products. To acquire a negative carbon ion it is necessary for the atom to retain two electrons forming a bond between itself and another group - see below
A carbon anion. Often a trivalent, negatively charged carbon atom, (R3C:(-) .
A carbanion is an anion in which carbon has an unshared pair of electrons and bears a negative charge usually with three substituents for a total of eight valence electrons Organic Chemistry - Robert Thornton Morrison, Robert Neilson Boyd. The carbanion exists in a Trigonal pyramidal geometry. Formally a carbanion is the conjugate base of a carbon acid.