mercaptan
noun
mer·cap·tan
| \ (ˌ)mər-ˈkap-ˌtan
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Definition of mercaptan
Examples of mercaptan in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The leaks go undetected because few of the wells in the U.S. add mercaptan, a chemical that causes the distinct odor most associate with natural gas. — Larry Buhl, The New Republic, "The Toxic-Gas Catastrophe Hiding Beneath Your Home," 8 July 2019 The former contains cynarin, a component that can make wine taste metallic, and the latter contains mercaptans, which can make a wine smell funky. — Lettie Teague, WSJ, "Yes, You Can Pair Wine With Vegetables," 2 Aug. 2018 Vestal said the smell was consistent with mercaptan, the chemical that gives natural gas its pungent odor. — Benjy Egel, sacbee, "What’s that smell? More than 120 callers report gas odor in eastern Sacramento County," 15 Dec. 2017 Two key factors helped highlight the Aliso Canyon leak: One, the gas was stored at the end of the supply chain and contained mercaptans, the odorous additives used to make leak detection easier in homes. — National Geographic, "The World Is Hemorrhaging Methane, and Now We Can See Where," 13 Jan. 2016 Most could pick up the smell of methyl mercaptan, a sulfur compound released as our guts digest the vegetable. — Thomas Goetz, WIRED, "23AndMe Will Decode Your DNA for $1,000. Welcome to the Age of Genomics," 17 Nov. 2007These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mercaptan.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for mercaptan
mercaptan
noun
mer·cap·tan
| \ (ˌ)mər-ˈkap-ˌtan
\
\