Meanings
plural mercaptans
- chemistryAny of a class of organic compounds of sulphur, ( R-SH ) where R represents an alkyl or other organic substituent. They tend to be foul-smelling. They are also termed thiols or thioalcohols.
Though this might come as a surprise, gas actually has no odor; gas companies are obligated to odorize it to make it safer for use in homes. Mercaptan, a harmless chemical, is added to create the distinct smell in both natural gas (methane) and liquid petroleum gas (propane, butane).
2022 April 25, AlfredCamera, “Spotting Gas Leak Symptoms and Staying Safe”, in Home Security Expert
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Danishmercaptan
- GermanMercaptan
- Englishmercaptan
Borrowed from German Mercaptan, from Danish mercaptan; coined by organic chemist William Christopher Zeise in 1832 from mer(curius) (“mercury”) + captan(s) (“capturing”), because the thiolate group bonds very strongly with mercury compounds.
More words from German, Danish
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Czech sulfid, sirník
- sulfidsulphuric compound
- sirníksulphuric compound
French mercaptan
- mercaptansulphuric compound
German Mercaptan
- Mercaptansulphuric compound
Italian mercaptano
- mercaptanosulphuric compound
Spanish mercaptano
- mercaptanosulphuric compound
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with mercaptan
All rhymes →Cite this entry
mercaptan. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mercaptan
“mercaptan.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mercaptan. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mercaptan,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mercaptan.
Source: mercaptan on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.