ABSTRACT
Alkyl and aromatic mercaptans (or thiols) can be reacted with ethylene oxide in a manner similar to alcohols or amines to produce surface active products. 148However, in the case of mercaptans, there has been very little interest in polyoxyethylene mercaptans derived from aromatic sources. Due to the potential for odor development from impurities in the product, there are significantly fewer applications for polyoxyethylene mercaptans compared with their oxygen or nitrogen counterparts. However, the sulfur atom imparts unique properties to the polyether chain that in many cases show advantages relative to other non-sulfur-containing surfactants.
