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propanethial S-oxide
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propanethial S-oxide

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Also known as Thiopropanal S-oxide

'''syn-Propanethial S-oxide (or (Z)-propanethial S-oxide'), a member of a class of organosulfur compounds known as thiocarbonyl S''-oxides (formerly "sulfines"), is a volatile liquid that acts as a lachrymatory agent (triggers tearing and stinging on contact with the eyes).

Wikidata facts

Mass
90.013936
Show 4 more facts
chemical formula
C₃H₆OS
canonical SMILES
CCC=S=O
found in taxon
Welsh onion
Commons category
Propanethial-S-oxide
Sources (2)

via Wikidata · CC0

~1 min read

Encyclopedic overview

3 sections
Contents
  • Onion release
  • Related compounds
  • References

'''syn-Propanethial S-oxide (or (Z)-propanethial S-oxide'), a member of a class of organosulfur compounds known as thiocarbonyl S-oxides (formerly "sulfines"), is a volatile liquid that acts as a lachrymatory agent (triggers tearing and stinging on contact with the eyes).

==Onion release== The chemical is released from onions, Allium cepa, as they are sliced. The release is due to the breaking open of the onion cells, which releases enzymes called alliinases. Alliinases then break down amino acid sulfoxides, generating sulfenic acids. A specific sulfenic acid, allicin or 1-propenesulfenic acid, is rapidly rearranged by another enzyme, the lachrymatory factor synthase (LFS), to give syn-propanethial S-oxide. Vapors from this volatile liquid induce tearing.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “propanethial S-oxide” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.