Organosulfur compounds, reactions

E. Block, Reactions of Organosulfur Compounds, Academic Press, Inc., New York, 1978, p. 278. 

The chemistry of organic sulfur compounds is very rich and organosulfur compounds are incorporated into many molecules. Thiols, or mercaptans as they were originally called, are essential as feedstocks in the manufacture of many types of mbber (qv) and plastics (qv). They are utilized as intermediates in agricultural chemicals, pharmaceuticals (qv), ia flavors and fragrances, and as animal feed supplements. Many reviews have been undertaken on the chemistry of the thiols, regarding both their preparation and their reactions (1 7). 

Multiple reactors achieve 95-96% conversion and recovery, and stringent air pollution legislation has now pushed this to 99%. A similar sequence of reactions is used for sulfur production from crude oil except that the organosulfur compounds must first be removed from the refinery feed and converted to H2S by a hydrogenation process before the sulfur can be recovered. 

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