BIOLOGICALLY ORIENTED ORGANIC SULFUR CHEMISTRY .2. FORMATION OF HEMIMERCAPTALS OR HEMIMERCAPTOLES AS A MEANS OF LATENTIATING THIOLS

Reactions of thiols with carbonyl compounds that form isolable hydrates led to hemimercaptals and hemimercaptoles. Hemimercaptals (3 and 7) of 2-aminoethanethiol hydrochloride (I), containing the groups Cl3CCH(OH), or F3CCH(OH), respectively, were active as antiradiation drugs, suggesting that these two groups (and similar ones) deserve a broader trial as latentiating groups for medicinally promising thiols. The hemimercaptal 3 reduced the titer of the rheumatoid factor in vitro but not the skin-tensile strength of rats in vivo. © 1969, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.