mercaptan

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/mɜːˈkæptæn/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(mər kap′tan)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
mer•cap•tan  (mər kap′tan),USA pronunciation n. [Chem.]
  1. Chemistryany 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.
  • Latin, short for phrase corpus mercurium captāns body capturing quicksilver
  • 1825–35

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
mercaptan / mɜːˈkæptæn/
  1. another name (not in technical usage) for thiol
Etymology: 19th Century: from German, from Medieval Latin mercurium captans, literally: seizing quicksilver
'mercaptan' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
alkanethiol - allyl mercaptan - captan - dimercaprol - ethyl mercaptan - mercaptide - thiol

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