Mercaptan Definition

This is the chemical structure of cysteine.
This is the chemical structure of the mercaptan compound cysteine. Todd Helmenstine
by Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Updated March 08, 2017

Definition: Mercaptan is an organic sulfur compound composed of an alkyl or aryl group and a thiol group.

General formula: R-SH where R is an alkyl or aryl group.

Also Known As: thiol

Examples: The amino acid cysteine is a mercaptan.

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Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Mercaptan Definition." ThoughtCo, Feb. 7, 2017, thoughtco.com/mercaptan-definition-608740. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2017, February 7). Mercaptan Definition. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/mercaptan-definition-608740 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Mercaptan Definition." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/mercaptan-definition-608740 (accessed May 24, 2018).