Xanthic is an adjective denoting yellow or tending toward yellow in color and, in chemical usage, relating to xanthic acids and their salts and esters (xanthates). The word derives from Ancient Greek xanthos, “yellow,” and entered English scientific vocabulary in the early 19th century. According to Merriam‑Webster, it can also mean “of or relating to xanthin/xanthine,” a purine derivative, while historical lexicographic sources date scientific use to 1817; etymological treatments trace it through French xanthique to Greek xanthos. Etymonline; Merriam‑Webster. (merriam-webster.com, etymonline.com)

Etymology and general usage

The combining form xantho‑ (before vowels, xanth‑) signifies “yellow” in scientific and medical terminology; examples include xanthophyll and xanthine. Standard references derive xantho‑ from Ancient Greek and record its productive use in 19th‑ and 20th‑century scientific coinages. See xantho‑ at Etymonline and Dictionary.com. (etymonline.com, dictionary.com)

Chemical meanings

In organic chemistry, xanthic acids are O‑alkyl dithiocarbonic acids with the general formula ROC(=S)SH; their salts and esters are called xanthates. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) classifies “xanthic acids” as an obsolete class name and recommends avoiding it in favor of structural terminology, while maintaining “xanthate” for the salts/esters usage as current practice in the literature. IUPAC Gold Book; IUPAC Gold Book (xanthates). (goldbook.iupac.org, old.goldbook.iupac.org)

Xanthic acids (e.g., ethyl xanthic acid) are generally unstable, oily liquids that decompose to carbon disulfide and the corresponding alcohol; their salts form characteristically yellow compounds, a property that motivated their naming in the 19th century. Early encyclopedic accounts describe formation by the action of carbon disulfide on alkoxides and note the color of copper xanthate salts. Merriam‑Webster; 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica (Wikisource). (merriam-webster.com, en.wikisource.org)

Xanthates are typically produced by reacting an alcohol with alkali (to form the alkoxide) and carbon disulfide; the resulting alkali xanthate salts (commonly sodium or potassium) are widely used and retain the etymological connection to yellow coloration. Standard descriptions emphasize the “xanthation” step ROH + CS₂ + KOH → ROCS₂K + H₂O. IUPAC Gold Book; Xanthate overview. (old.goldbook.iupac.org, en.wikipedia.org)

Discovery and historical notes

Xanthates were first described in 1823 by Danish chemist William Christopher Zeise, who named them for their yellow salts from Greek xanthos. Historical biographies and secondary summaries credit Zeise with establishing the class in early organosulfur chemistry. William Christopher Zeise (summary); Encyclopedia.com: Zeise, William Christopher. (en.wikipedia.org, encyclopedia.com)

Structure, reactions, and roles in synthesis

The xanthate anion ROCS₂⁻ acts as a nucleophile and ligand; xanthate esters participate in classic transformations. In the Chugaev elimination, O‑alkyl S‑alkyl xanthates undergo pyrolysis to form alkenes under relatively mild conditions, releasing carbonyl sulfide and a thiol. Overviews in reference works and journal reviews document scope and mechanism. ScienceDirect Topic overview; ScienceDirect overview on potassium ethyl xanthate. (sciencedirect.com)

Xanthates also enable radical deoxygenation of alcohols after conversion to xanthate esters in the Barton–McCombie deoxygenation, a widely used method in total synthesis; contemporary mechanistic discussions connect this chemistry with thiocarbonyl‑mediated radical processes. Journal of Organic Chemistry; Tetrahedron review; ChemLibreTexts. (pubs.acs.org, sciencedirect.com, chem.libretexts.org)

In polymer chemistry, xanthate‑type thiocarbonylthio compounds serve as transfer agents in reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization (RAFT; also called MADIX when using xanthates), enabling controlled radical polymerizations of vinyl monomers. The IUPAC Gold Book lists xanthates among example RAFT agents. IUPAC Gold Book (RAFT). (goldbook.iupac.org)

Industrial applications

Mineral processing: Xanthate salts are the dominant collectors for sulfide minerals in froth flotation, where they chemisorb to sulfide surfaces and/or oxidize to hydrophobic dixanthogen, enhancing bubble attachment. Experimental and review studies report chain‑length effects on selectivity and recovery for minerals such as galena and chalcopyrite. ACS Omega; Minerals (MDPI); Materials (MDPI); general overviews: Froth flotation. (pubs.acs.org, mdpi.com, en.wikipedia.org)

Textiles and films: In the viscose process for producing rayon and cellophane, cellulose is converted transiently to sodium cellulose xanthate, dissolved to form viscose dope, then regenerated to cellulose in an acid/salt bath. Authoritative encyclopedias detail the chemistry and industrialization of the process from the 1890s onward. Encyclopædia Britannica: Rayon; Infoplease (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia): Viscose process. (britannica.com, infoplease.com)

Health, safety, and environmental aspects

Carbon disulfide (CS₂), essential for xanthate manufacture and viscose production, is a neurotoxic and cardiometabolic hazard; regulatory and occupational‑health sources associate CS₂ exposure with neuropathy and elevated risk of hypertension and coronary disease among rayon workers, underscoring the importance of engineering controls and closed‑loop systems. NIOSH/CDC; U.S. Federal Register—Cellulose Products Manufacturing NESHAP background; Br J Ind Med (PMC); PubMed. (archive.cdc.gov, federalregister.gov, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Biological and descriptive uses

Beyond chemistry, xanthic describes yellow color traits in organisms. In ornithology and herpetology, related terms such as xanthochromism denote unusually yellow pigmentation; surveys and reviews document such variants in wild birds and in captive breeding. See xanthochromism and avicultural syntheses. Avian Report. (en.wikipedia.org, avianreport.com)

Terminology and internal cross‑references

• –Color science and measurement: see Colorimetry.
• –Classical language roots: see Ancient Greek.
• –Chemical nomenclature and standardization: see IUPAC.
• –Organosulfur chemistry and named reactions: see Barton–McCombie deoxygenation and Chugaev elimination.
• –Materials and manufacturing: see Cellulose and Rayon.
• –Extractive metallurgy: see Mineral processing. (goldbook.iupac.org)