Mercaptan and Polypropylene?

Question

Anyone know if Polypropylene will melt or have any ill effects when submerged into a liquid of a chemical called Mercaptan?

Any info will be helpful...thank you.

...HOW about mercaptan and a thermoplastic rubber called Santoprene... any ill effects?

Answer 1

Mercaptans are organic compounds with a -SH on one end. They have a very foul odor (the odor of a skunk is a mercaptan). Natural gas has no odor but very small amounts of mercaptans (under 50 parts per billion in most cases) are added to produce the odor so people can detect gas leaks

Polypropylene is a nonpolar polymer that is not likely to be readily attacked with mercaptan but mercaptan is likely to penetrate the polymer and create a nearly permanent foul odor in the polypropylene.

I would prefer to use a metal or glass container to contain mercaptans as they are less likely to allow odor transfer.

Answer 2

no. Polypropylene is fairly inert to mercaptans. Ethyl mercaptan will permeate polypropylene after long exposure, but I've used polypropylene eppendorf tubes in the lab with ethyl mercaptan with no such catastrophic failure.

Why use mercaptans though? there are other reducing agents that don't stink quite so badly.