Methanethiol (also known as methyl mercaptan) is a colorless gas with a smell like rotten cabbage. It is a natural substance found in the blood, brain, and other tissues of people and animals. It is released from animal feces. It occurs naturally in certain foods, such as some nuts and cheese. It is also one of the main chemicals responsible for bad breath and the smell in flatulence. The chemical formula for methanethiol is CH3SH; it is classified as a thiol.
Methanethiol is released from decaying organic matter in marshes and is present in the natural gas of certain regions in the United States, in coal tar, and in some crude oils.
In surface seawater, methanethiol is the primary breakdown product of the algal metabolite dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP)....
Methanethiol is also manufactured for use in the plastics industry, as a precursor in the manufacture of pesticides, and as a jet fuel additive. It is also released as a decay product of wood in pulp mills.
On December 26, 2005, dozens of people at a St. Petersburg, Russia Maksidom home supplies store were sickened when gas suspected to be methanethiol was released. The store had received letters threatening to disrupt business during the holiday gift-giving season. Three other stores belonging to the same chain found boxes with glass containers and timers that also might have been rigged to release the gas.
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