mercaptan
[ mer-kap-tan ]
/ mərˈkæp tæn /
noun Chemistry.
any of a class of sulfur-containing compounds having the type formula RSH, in which R represents a radical, and having an extremely offensive, garlicky odor.
Nearby words
Origin of mercaptan
1825–35; < Latin, short for phrase corpus mercurium captāns body capturing quicksilver
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British Dictionary definitions for mercaptan
Word Origin for mercaptan
C19: from German, from Medieval Latin mercurium captans, literally: seizing quicksilver
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Medicine definitions for mercaptan
mercaptan
[ mər-kăp′tăn′ ]
n.
Any of a class of organic compounds in which the oxygen of an alcohol has been replaced by sulfur and which have distinctive, often disagreeable, odors.thiol
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Science definitions for mercaptan
mercaptan
[ mər-kăp′tăn′ ]
See thiol.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.