2,4-Dithiapentane is an organosulfur compound. It is a colorless liquid with a strong odor. 2,4-Dithiapentane is the dimethyl dithioacetal of

formaldehyde Formaldehyde ( , ) (systematic name methanal) is a naturally occurring organic compound with the formula and structure . The pure compound is a pungent, colourless gas that polymerises spontaneously into paraformaldehyde (refer to section ...

. It is prepared by the acid-catalyzed condensation of

methyl mercaptan Methanethiol (also known as methyl mercaptan) is an organosulfur compound with the chemical formula . It is a colorless gas with a distinctive putrid smell. It is a natural substance found in the blood, brain and feces of animals (including humans ...

, the main aromatic compound in both

halitosis Bad breath, also known as halitosis, is a symptom in which a noticeably unpleasant breath odour is present. It can result in anxiety among those affected. It is also associated with depression and symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder. ...

and

foot odor Foot odor (also spelled foot odour) or bromodosis is a type of body odor that affects the feet of humans. It is sometimes considered to be an unpleasant smell, but can also be the target of foot fetishism, more specifically as a form of olfac ...

and a secondary compound in flatulence, with

. :2 CH₃SH + H₂C=O → CH₃SCH₂SCH₃ + H₂O 2,4-Dithiapentane is found as an aromatic component in some

truffle A truffle is the fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, predominantly one of the many species of the genus ''Tuber''. In addition to ''Tuber'', many other genera of fungi are classified as truffles including '' Geopora'', '' Pe ...

varietals. A synthetic version is used as the primary aromatic additive in commercial "truffle" products, such as truffle oil, truffle butter, truffle salt, pastes, etc., many of which contain no truffle content at all. It has also been found to occur naturally in rotting wood of some species in genus

Lecythis ''Lecythis'' is a genus of woody plant in the Lecythidaceae The Lecythidaceae comprise a family of about 20 genera and 250–300 species of woody plants native to tropical South America, Africa (including Madagascar), Asia and Australia ...

Notes and references

Thioethers {{organic-compound-stub