mercaptan
See also: Mercaptan
English
Etymology
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.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /məˈkapt(ə)n/
Noun
mercaptan (plural mercaptans)
- (chemistry) Any of a class of organic compounds of sulphur, ( R1.S.R2 ); they tend to be foul-smelling. When R2 is a hydrogen atom, they are termed thiols or thioalcohols.
- 2022 April 25, AlfredCamera, “Spotting Gas Leak Symptoms and Staying Safe”, in Home Security Expert:
- 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).
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Translations
sulphuric compound
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See also
- mercapto
French
Etymology
Ultimately from Danish mercaptan, which see.
Noun
mercaptan m (plural mercaptans)
- (chemistry) mercaptan
Further reading
- “mercaptan”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Romanian
Etymology
From French mercaptan.
Noun
mercaptan m (plural mercaptani)
- mercaptan
Declension
Declension of mercaptan
| singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite articulation | definite articulation | indefinite articulation | definite articulation | |
| nominative/accusative | (un) mercaptan | mercaptanul | (niște) mercaptani | mercaptanii |
| genitive/dative | (unui) mercaptan | mercaptanului | (unor) mercaptani | mercaptanilor |
| vocative | mercaptanule | mercaptanilor | ||