Thiols

A thiol is structurally similar to an alcohol but contains a sulfur atom in place of the oxygen atom normally found in an alcohol. The outstanding feature of thiols is their foul smell. The simplest thiol is hydrogen sulfide, H₂S, the sulfur analog of water. It can be detected by the human nose at a concentration of a few parts per billion and is readily identifiable as having a rotten-egg odour. Ethanethiol is added in trace amounts to natural gas to give it a detectable odour, and striped skunks deter predators by releasing a liquid spray containing 3-methyl-1-butanethiol. When present as a substituent on another structural unit, the SH group is commonly termed mercapto, as in 2-mercaptoethanol.