Dithiocarboxylic Acids: An Old Theme Revisited and Augmented by New Preparative, Spectroscopic and Structural Facts.

The unstable dithiocarboxylic acids dithioacetic acid, 2-methyl-dithiopropionic acid, 2,2-dimethyl-dithiopropionic acid and dithiobenzoic acid were synthesized and characterized by NMR spectroscopy and GC/MS. The stable dithiocarboxylic acids 2,4,6-trimethyl benzoic acid, 2,4,6-tri-iso-propylbenzoic acid and 2,6-dimesityl benzoic acid were synthesized, isolated and characterized by spectroscopic methods and in parts by mass spectrometry and X-ray crystallography. The new data were used to re-evaluate literature data on the synthesis, spectroscopy and structural data of dithiocarboxylic acids as a fundamental class of organic compounds in general.