alkanethiol

noun

al·​kane·​thi·​ol ¦al-ˌkān-¦thī-ˌȯl 

-ˌōl

plural alkanethiols

: any of various hydrocarbon polymers also containing sulfur that are deposited on a surface (such as gold) in a monolayer typically in order to create an electronic circuit

… described how he and his colleagues have used self-assembling hydrocarbon molecules, called alkanethiols, to form ordered rows on a gold surface.

—Gary Stix, Scientific American, April 1996

Word History

Etymology

alkane + thiol

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined above

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