Dithiobenzoic acid is the organosulfur compound with the formula C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>5</sub>CS<sub>2</sub>H. It is a dithiocarboxylic acid, an analogue of benzoic acid, but more acidic and deeply colored.
It can be prepared by sulfiding benzotrichloride:
It also arises by the reaction of the Grignard reagent phenylmagnesium bromide with carbon disulfide, followed by acidification:
It is about 100x more acidic than benzoic acid. Its conjugate base, dithiobenzoate, undergoes S-alkylation to give dithiocarboxylate esters. Similarly, dithiobenzoate reacts with "soft" metal salts to give complexes, e.g. Fe(S<sub>2</sub>CC<sub>6</sub>H<sub>5</sub>)<sub>3</sub> and Ni(S<sub>2</sub>CC<sub>6</sub>H<sub>5</sub>)<sub>2</sub>.
Chlorination of dithiobenzoic acid gives the thioacyl chloride C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>5</sub>C(S)Cl.