CHEMICAL DATA NOTEBOOK SERIES #112: METHYL MERCAPTAN
BY FRANK L. FIRE
Methyl mercaptan is a flammable, toxic, reactive, irritating gas with a strong, disagreeable odor (similar to that of garlic or rotten cabbage) that is detectable at extremely low concentrations. Common uses of methyl mercaptan include in the manufacturing of additives for jet fuels, catalysts, dyes, fungicides, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, plastics, and other chemicals. The name methyl mercaptan is slowly being replaced by its proper chemical name methanethiol, although the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) still are using the shipping names methyl mercaptan and methylmercaptan, respectively. "Thiol" is the newer designation for all chemicals previously called mercaptans.
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