Under argon protection, 40 mL of freshly dried ether and 1.15 g of sodium metal (50 mmol) were added to a 100 mL flask. 4.07 mL of ethanethiol (55 mmol) was added dropwise to the reaction solution under stirring, and the reaction was stirred at room temperature for 4 hours until the sodium metal completely disappeared and a large amount of white turbidity was produced. Then the ether and a small portion of excess ethanethiol were withdrawn under reduced pressure, and the resulting white powder was sodium ethanethiol (yield: 3.88 g, yield: 92.4%).
