Dithiocarboxylic acids are organosulfur compounds with the formula RCS2H.
A closely related and better studied family of compounds are the monothiocarboxylic acids, with the formula RCOSH.
[2] Such compounds are commonly prepared by the reaction of carbon disulfide with a Grignard reagent:[3] This reaction is comparable to the formation of carboxylic acids using a Grignard reagent and carbon dioxide.
Dithiocarboxylate salts readily S-alkylate to give dithiocarboxylate esters:[4] Aryldithiocarboxylic acids, e.g., dithiobenzoic acid, chlorinate to give the thioacyl chlorides.
Oxygen transfer to a dithiocarboxylate ester gives a sulfine-like S-oxide that rearranges to an acylsulfenyl thiolate.