Sodium diethyldithiocarbamate

Sodium diethyldithiocarbamate
IUPAC name sodium (diethylcarbamothioyl)sulfanide
Identifiers
CAS number	148-18-5 Y
PubChem	533728
ChemSpider	8642 Y
UNII	A5304YEB5E Y
ChEMBL	CHEMBL107217 Y
Jmol-3D images	{{#if:[Na+].[S-]C(=S)N(CC)CC|Image 1
SMILES [Na+].[S-]C(=S)N(CC)CC
InChI InChI=1S/C5H11NS2.Na/c1-3-6(4-2)5(7)8;/h3-4H2,1-2H3,(H,7,8);/q;+1/p-1 Y Key: IOEJYZSZYUROLN-UHFFFAOYSA-M Y InChI=1/C5H11NS2.Na/c1-3-6(4-2)5(7)8;/h3-4H2,1-2H3,(H,7,8);/q;+1/p-1 Key: IOEJYZSZYUROLN-REWHXWOFAF
Properties
Molecular formula	C5H10NS2Na
Molar mass	171.259 g/mol (anhydrous)
Appearance	White, slightly brown, or slightly pink crystalline solid
Density	1.1 g/cm3
Melting point	95 °C; 203 °F; 368 K
Solubility in water	Soluble
Solubility	soluble in alcohol, acetone insoluble in ether, benzene
Hazards
Main hazards	Harmful
Y (verify) (what is: Y/N?) Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C (77 °F), 100 kPa)
Infobox references

Sodium diethyldithiocarbamate is the organosulfur compound with the formula NaS₂CN(C₂H₅)₂.

Preparation

This salt is obtained by treating carbon disulfide with diethylamine in the presence of sodium hydroxide:

CS₂ + HN(C₂H₅)₂ + NaOH → NaS₂CN(C₂H₅)₂ + H₂O

Other dithiocarbamates can be prepared similarly from secondary amines and carbon disulfide. They are used as chelating agents for transition metal ions and as precursors to herbicides and vulcanization reagents.

Oxidation to thiuram disulfide

Oxidation of sodium diethyldithiocarbamate gives the disulfide, also called a thiuram disulfide (Et = ethyl):

2 NaS₂CNEt₂ + I₂ → Et₂NC(S)S-SC(S)NEt₂ + 2 NaI

This disulfide is marketed as an anti-alcoholism drug under the labels Antabuse and Disulfiram. Chlorination of the above-mentioned thiuram disulfide affords the thiocarbamoyl chloride.^[1]

Ligand bonding

The diethyldithiocarbamate ion chelates to many "softer" metals via the two sulfur atoms. Other more complicated bonding modes are known including binding as unidentate ligand and a bridging ligand using one or both sulfur atoms.^[2]

Spin trapping of nitric oxide radicals

Complexes of Dithiocarbamates with iron provide one of the very few methods to study the formation of nitric oxide (NO) radicals in biological materials. Although the lifetime of NO in tissues is too short to allow detection of this radical itself, NO readily binds to iron-dithiocarbamate complexes. The resulting mono-nitrosyl-iron complex (MNIC) is stable, and may be detected with Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy.^[3][4][5]

In cancer

The effect of diethyldithiocarbamate of chelating zinc inhibits metalloproteinases, which in turn prevents the degradation of extracellular matrix, which is an initial step in cancer metastasis and angiogenesis. ^[6]

Antioxidant

Diethyldithiocarbamate inhibits superoxide dismutase, which can both have antioxidant and oxidant effects on cells, depending on the time of administration.^[6]

In metabolism

Diethyldithiocarbamate has been described to interfere with glucocorticoid metabolism, by inhibiting the activity of the enzyme 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2, which converts cortisol to cortisone.^[7]

References

Further reading

• Cvek B, Dvorak Z (2007). "Targeting of nuclear factor-kappaB and proteasome by dithiocarbamate complexes with metals". Curr. Pharm. Des. 13 (30): 3155–67. doi:10.2174/138161207782110390. PMID 17979756.