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ethyl mercaptan

American  

noun

Chemistry.

  1. mercaptan.

ethyl mercaptan Scientific  

  1. A colorless organic liquid that has a very strong odor. It is added to odorless fuel, such as natural gas, and fuel systems as a warning agent in the event of leakage or spills. Also called ethanethiol. Chemical formula: C 2 H 6 S.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The CAA has also ordered the gas companies to add the pungent ethyl mercaptan to the gas cylinders to make it easier to smell gas leaks.

From Reuters • Dec. 8, 2021

A few pools of ethyl mercaptan the size of the reservoir in the middle of Central Park could, if spread evenly throughout the atmosphere, make the entire planet smell like a gas leak.

From New York Times • Feb. 17, 2020

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.