Potassium thioacetate
Potassium thioacetate is an organosulfur compound and a salt with the formula. This white, water-soluble solid is used as a reagent for preparing thioacetate esters and other derivatives.
Synthesis and reactions
Potassium thioacetate, which is commercially available, can be prepared by combining acetyl chloride and potassium hydrogen sulfide:It arises also by the neutralization of thioacetic acid with potassium hydroxide.
Use in preparation of thiols
In a common application, potassium thioacetate is combined with alkylating agents to give thioacetate esters :One example is ethyl thioacetate.
Hydrolysis of these esters affords thiols:
The thioacetate esters can also be cleaved with methanethiol in the presence of stoichiometric base, as illustrated in the preparation of pent-4-yne-1-thiol: