Organic Sulfur Compounds

Abstract

Organic sulfur compounds are sulfur‐based chemicals that are used in a variety of industrial applications such as manufacturing, agriculture, the environment, and pharmaceuticals. The compounds included in this chapter have been grouped according to chemical classes and were selected based on their common industrial uses and commercial importance, with a major focus on mercaptans (also called thiols or sulfhydryls). The other classes include sulfides, disulfides, chemicals with both sulfur and oxygen atoms (sulfoxides, sulfones, sulfonates, and sulfonyl chlorides), miscellaneous groups (thiophenes and benzothiazoles), and sulfur mustards. Industrial uses for these compounds include intermediates in chemical synthesis, gas odorants (especially C 2 to C 4 mercaptans), chelating or complexing agents, catalysts, solvents, and accelerators or components of synthetic rubber products. The sulfonates are used in the production of anionic detergents, surfactants, and wetting agents, and in some cases, as lubricant additives. The only use for the very toxic sulfur mustards is for chemical warfare. For many of these compounds, there is limited toxicological data in the open literature; however, the majority of data is available from unpublished industry‐sponsored documents that are referred to in the text so that this information is available to the scientific and industrial communities interested in learning more about the hazards associated with these classes of compounds.