Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Why are thioacetals useful for protecting carbonyl groups during organic synthesis?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
organosulfur compound
Examples of organosulfur compounds.
Thioacetals and thioketals are highly useful in organic synthesis because they are more stable than their corresponding oxygen-based counterparts. This increased stability allows them to serve as effective protecting groups, which temporarily suppress the reactivity of a carbonyl group during complex chemical reactions. By forming these derivatives through the reaction of thiols with aldehydes or ketones, chemists can shield the carbonyl functionality from unwanted transformations while other parts of the molecule are modified.1