mercaptan
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.
Origin of mercaptan
1Words Nearby mercaptan
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use mercaptan in a sentence
"And butyl mercaptan; I'm quite aware of that," said the Doctor quickly, to continue the tradition of omniscience.
Skippy Bedelle | Owen JohnsonTrue, it smelled like an ancient Earth-animal called skunk—butyl mercaptan.
The Hate Disease | William Fitzgerald JenkinsWe tried cayenne pepper and n-butyl mercaptan—the main ingredient in "polecat essence."
Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Forty-Second Annual Meeting | Northern Nut Growers AssociationThe stuff smelled like a mixture of spirits of ammonia and butyl mercaptan, but it did the job.
The Highest Treason | Randall Garrett
British Dictionary definitions for mercaptan
/ (mɜːˈkæptæn) /
another name (not in technical usage) for thiol
Origin of mercaptan
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for mercaptan
[ mər-kăp′tăn′ ]
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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