Ethyl xanthic acid

Ethyl xanthic acid is an organic compound with the chemical formula CH3CH2\sO\sC(\dS)\sSH. It can be viewed as an O-ethyl ester of dithiocarbonic O,S-acid (the formula of that acid is S\dC(OH)(SH)). Ethyl xanthic acid belongs to the category of thioacids, where the prefix thio- means that an oxygen atom in the compound is replaced by a sulfur atom.

Preparation
Ethyl xanthic acid is obtained by the action of dilute sulfuric acid on potassium ethyl xanthate at 0 °C.

Ethyl xanthic acid is a colorless, labile oil. In aqueous solution, it decomposes rapidly by a unimolecular pathway to give carbon disulfide and ethanol.

Esters of ethyl xanthic acid
The methyl and ethyl esters of ethyl xanthic acid are colorless, oily liquids with a penetrating odor.

Reactions
Ethyl xanthic acid reacts with water or moisture producing carbon disulfide.

Safety
In an experiment with white rats, chronically exposed rats by inhalation of ethyl xanthic acid revealed higher frequency of chromosomal rearrangements in lymphocytes of peripheral blood than the control rats.