Ethyl xanthic acid
Ethyl xanthic acid is an organic compound with the chemical formula. It can be viewed as an O-ethyl ester of dithiocarbonic O,''S''-acid. 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 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.