Definitions
A carbocation was previously often called a carbonium ion but questions arose on the exact meaning. In present day chemistry a carbocation is any positively charged carbon atom. Two special types have been suggested: carbenium ions (protonated carbenes, hence the name) are trivalent and carbonium ions (protonated alkanes) are pentavalent or hexavalent. University level textbooks only discuss carbocations as if they are carbenium ions, or discuss carbocations with a fleeting reference to the older phrase of carbonium ion or carbenium and carbonium ions. One textbook to this day clings on to the older name of carbonium ion for carbenium ion and reserves the phrase hypervalent carbenium ion for CH5+.
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