In contrast to sulfinic and sulfonic acids, simple sulfenic acids, such as methanesulfenic acid, CH3SOH, are highly reactive and cannot be isolated in solution. In the gas phase the lifetime of methanesulfenic acid is about one minute. The gas phase structure of methanesulfenic acid was found by microwave spectroscopy (rotational spectroscopy) to be CH3–S–O–H.
Methanesulfenic acid is a highly reactive compound that cannot be isolated in solution due to its short lifetime in the gas phase. The structure of methanesulfenic acid was determined using microwave spectroscopy (rotational spectroscopy) to be CH3–S–O–H.