2,4-Dithiapentane is an

organosulfur compound Organosulfur chemistry is the study of the properties and synthesis of organosulfur compounds, which are organic compounds that contain sulfur. They are often associated with foul odors, but many of the sweetest compounds known are organosulfur der ...

, and is the simplest alkyl dithioether. It is a colorless liquid with a strong odor, reminiscent of freshly prepared

mustard Mustard may refer to: Food and plants * Mustard (condiment), a paste or sauce made from mustard seeds used as a condiment * Mustard plant, one of several plants, having seeds that are used for the condiment ** Mustard seed, small, round seeds of ...

in the pure form. 2,4-Dithiapentane is the dimethyl

dithioacetal In organosulfur chemistry, thioacetals are the sulfur ('' thio-'') analogues of acetals (). There are two classes: the less-common monothioacetals, with the formula , and the dithioacetals, with the formula (symmetric dithioacetals) or (asy ...

formaldehyde Formaldehyde ( , ) (systematic name methanal) is an organic compound with the chemical formula and structure , more precisely . The compound is a pungent, colourless gas that polymerises spontaneously into paraformaldehyde. It is stored as ...

. Its synthesis was first reported in 1941. It is industrially 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. In small amounts, it is pervasive in nature and found in certain foods, such as some n ...

, the main aromatic compound in both

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and

foot odor Foot odor (also spelled foot odour) or bromodosis is a type of body odor that affects the feet of humans. Causes The main cause is foot sweat (also see focal hyperhidrosis). Sweat itself is odorless; however, it creates a beneficial environme ...

and a secondary compound in

flatulence Flatulence is the expulsion of gas from the Gastrointestinal tract, intestines via the anus, commonly referred to as farting. "Flatus" is the medical word for gas generated in the stomach or bowels. A proportion of intestinal gas may be swal ...

, with

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

truffle A truffle is the Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, one of the species of the genus ''Tuber (fungus), Tuber''. More than one hundred other genera of fungi are classified as truffles including ''Geopora'', ''P ...

varieties. A synthetic version is used as the primary aromatic additive in commercial "truffle" products, such as

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, truffle salt and truffle pastes, many of which contain no truffle content at all, and have elevated levels of 2,4-dithiapentane compared to levels in natural truffle products. It has also been found to occur naturally in rotting wood of some species in the genus ''

Lecythis ''Lecythis'' ( ) is a genus of woody plants in the Lecythidaceae family first described as a genus in 1758. It is native to Central America and South America. Several species produce edible seeds and referred to by a variety of common names inclu ...

''.

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dithiapentane, 2, 4- Thioethers