See also:

• MERCAPTANS (Thio-alcohols)

MERCAPTANS (Thio-See also:

• ALCOHOLS
• ALCOHOLS, ALDEHYDES AND
• ALCOHOLS, BENZYL ALCOHOL, BUTYL ALCOHOLS, METHYL ALCOHOL

alcohols)  , organic chemical compounds of the type R.SH (R=an alkyl See also:

• GROUP

group) . The name is derived from mercurium captans, in allusion to the fact that these compounds react readily with mercuric See also:

• OXIDE

oxide to See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form crystalline See also:

• MERCURY
• MERCURY (MERCU1uus)
• MERCURY (symbol Hg, atomic weight = 2oo)

mercury derivatives . The See also:

• MERCAPTANS (Thio-alcohols)

mercaptans may, be prepared by the See also:

• ACTION

action of the alkyl halides on an alcoholic See also:

• SOLUTION (from Lat. solvere, to loosen, dissolve)

solution of See also:

• POTASSIUM [symbol K (from kalium), atomic weight 39.114 0=16)]

potassium hydrosulphide; by the reduction of the sulpho-chlorides, e.g . C2H5SO2C1 (chlorides of sulphonic acids), by See also:

• HEATING

heating the salts of See also:

• ESTERS

esters of sulphuric See also:

• ACID (from the Lat. root ac-, sharp; acere, to be sour)

acid with potassium hydrosulphide, and by heating the See also:

• ALCOHOLS
• ALCOHOLS, ALDEHYDES AND
• ALCOHOLS, BENZYL ALCOHOL, BUTYL ALCOHOLS, METHYL ALCOHOL

alcohols with See also:

• PHOSPHORUS (Gr. 4ws, light, sPEpety, to bear)

phosphorus pentasulphide . They are colourless liquids, which are insoluble in See also:

• WATER

water and possess a characteristic offensive See also:

• SMELL (connected etymologically with " smoulder " and " smoke ")

smell . On oxidation by nitric acid they yield sulphonic acids . They combine with See also:

• ALDEHYDES

aldehydes and See also:

• KETONES

ketones, with elimination of water and formation of mercaptals and mercaptols . (See See also:

• SULPHONAL

SULPHONAL.) Methyl mercaptan, CHI.SH, is a liquid which boils at 5.8° C . (752 mm.), and forms a crystalline See also:

• HYDRATE

hydrate with water . See also:

• ETHYL

Ethyl mercaptan, C2H5.SH, is a colourless liquid which boils at 36.2° C . It is used commercially in the preparation of sulphonal (q.v.) . The mercury See also:

• SALT (a common Teutonic word, cf. Dutch zout, Ger. Salz, Scand. salt; cognate with Gr. &Xs, Lat. sal)
• SALT, SIR TITUS, BART

salt, Hg(SC2Hb)2, crystallizes from See also:

• ALCOHOL

alcohol in plates .

When heated with alcohol to 19o° C. it decomposes into mercury and ethyldisulphide .