Ethanethiol

• Ethyl mercaptan
• Mercaptoethane

Colorless liquid with a penetrating odor and acrid

Liquid

0.84 g · cm -3

-148 ° C

35 ° C.

576 hPa ( 20 ° C)

Poorly in water

1.4310 (20 ° C)

Risk

0.5 ml · m -3, 1.3 mg · m-3

-73.6 KJ / mol

Template: Infobox chemical / molecular formula search available

Ethanethiol, also known as ethyl mercaptan, is a chemical compound. It is not to be confused with mercaptoethanol.

Properties

Ethanethiol is an extremely foul-smelling liquid ( therefore listed in the Guinness Book of Records) with a melting point of -148 ° C and a boiling point of 35 ° C. Ethanethiol is soluble in organic solvents but virtually insoluble in water. The substance is hazardous to water in a high degree. Like all thiols ethanethiol is a weak acid.

Occurrence and production

Ethanethiol can be found in petroleum and coal tar, from which it is removed by passage over platinum in the presence of hydrogen ( desulfurization ).

Synthetic ethanethiol is obtained in the typical manner for thiols.

Use

Ethanethiol is used as an odorant, by, for example, liquefied gas is added in order to detect leaks - lowest Ethanthiolkonzentrationen are perceptible odor. The perception threshold for humans is about 1 mg / t. Further ethanethiol is used as an intermediate for organic synthesis.