Question

Does `"H"_4"O"_2^(+)` exist in water?

Answer 1

No, because the charge is not conserved...

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`"H"_4"O"_2^(+)` does not exist. It would require the 1-electron ionization of ony one water and then its interaction with another water, and that doesn't make any sense. It would make more sense to form:

• `"H"_5"O"_2^(+)` (i.e. the Zundel cation)
• `"H"_7"O"_3^(+)`
• `"H"_9"O"_4^(+)` (i.e. the Eigen cation)

etc.

But we only need to speak of `"H"_3"O"^(+)`. We care more about their applicability to equilibria than how many hydronium are locally interacting with a water molecule...