text: Methanesulfonyl chloride (mesyl chloride) is an organosulfur compound with the formula . Using the organic pseudoelement symbol Ms for the methanesulfonyl (or mesyl) group –, it is frequently abbreviated MsCl in reaction schemes or equations. It is a colourless liquid that dissolves in polar organic solvents but is reactive toward water, alcohols, and many amines. The simplest organic sulfonyl chloride, it is used to make methanesulfonates and to generate the elusive molecule sulfene (methylenedioxosulfur(VI)).