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mercaptan
[ mer-kap-tan ]
/ mərˈkæp tæn /
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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.
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Origin of mercaptan
1825–35; <Latin, short for phrase corpus mercurium captāns body capturing quicksilver
Words nearby mercaptan
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
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
Word Origin for mercaptan
C19: from German, from Medieval Latin mercurium captans, literally: seizing quicksilver
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medical 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Any of a class of organic compounds in which the oxygen of an alcohol has been replaced by sulfur and which have distinctive, often disagreeable, odors.thiol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.
Scientific 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.