Resinous products are prepared by condensing a halogenated epoxide with an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salt of a thiocarbonic acid of the formula <FORM:0679855/IV (a)/1> where X represents hydrogen or the residue of an alcohol or phenol and Y is oxygen or sulphur. The thiocarbonic acid salt may be formed in situ by using carbon disulphide and an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal hydroxide, sulphide, alkoxide or phenate and the halogenated epoxide may also be formed in situ by using the corresponding di-halohydrin and sufficient alkali to convert it into the haloepoxide. The condensation reaction is exothermic and occurs on mixing the starting materials or on heating them to 40-50 DEG C.; metallic halides are eliminated. The products range from liquids to plastic or brittle solids depending on the conditions employed; they may be used in lubricants, varnishes and plastics. In examples: (1) carbon disulphide and aqueous potash are heated at 40 DEG C., forming a mixture of potassium mono- and dithiocarbonates, whereupon heating is stopped and epichlorhydrin run in at a rate to maintain a temperature of 80 DEG C., so yielding a viscous liquid resin, an elastic mass drawable into threads or a hard brittle mass according to the time the mass is kept at 80 DEG C.; (2) as in (1), the temperature being 100 DEG C., and the product an elastic spongy mass; (3) carbon disulphide, sodium sulphide and water are reacted at 40 DEG C. forming sodium dithiocarbonate, whereupon epichlorhydrin is run in and the temperature maintained at not above 90 DEG C., so yielding a soft sticky mass; (4) carbon disulphide is reacted with alcoholic potash to form potassium xanthate to which epichlorhydrin is added at reaction temperature of 15 DEG C., so forming a liquid product converted on heating to a sticky resin and then to a hard extrudable mass; (5) potash lye is slowly added to a heated mixture of carbon disulphide and epichlorhydrin and the temperature held at 90-100 DEG C. to form a non-sticky plastic mass; (6) glycerine dichlorhydrin is added to a stirred mixture of carbon disulphide and aqueous potash and the mixture maintained at reflux temperature to form a brittle plastic mass. The Specification as open to inspection under Sect. 91, specifies the use of any metal salt of a thiocarbonic acid containing one or more sulphur atoms, one of these sulphur atoms being linked to the carbon atom by a double bond and mentions the trithiocarbonates. This subject-matter does not appear in the Specification as accepted.ALSO:Organic sulphur compounds are prepared by condensing a halogenated epoxide with an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salt of a thiocarbonic acid of the formula <FORM:0679855/IV (b)/1> in which X represents hydrogen or the residue of an alcohol or phenol and Y represents oxygen or sulphur. If desired, the thiocarbonic acid salt may be formed in situ during the condensation by the action of carbon disulphide on an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal hydroxide, sulphide, alkoxide or phenate and the halogenated epoxide may also be formed in situ by employing the corresponding dihalohydrin and sufficient alkali to convert it to the halogenated epoxide. The condensation reaction is exothermic in nature and occurs on mixing the reagents at ordinary temperature or on an initial heating to 40-50 DEG C.; metallic halides are eliminated. The products range from liquid to plastic or solid substances depending on the conditions employed; they find application as lubricants, varnishes and plastics. In examples: (1) carbon disulphide, potash lye and water are heated at 40 DEG C. forming a mixture of potassium mono- and dithiocarbonates whereupon heating is stopped and epichlorhydrin is run in slowly to maintain a reaction temperature of 80 DEG C. yielding a viscous liquid resin, an elastic mass drawable into threads or a hard brittle mass according to the time the mixture is left at 80 DEG C.; (2) as in (1), the reaction temperature being 100 DEG C. and the product an elastic spongy mass; (3) carbon disulphide, sodium sulphide and water are reacted at 40 DEG C., forming sodium dithiocarbonate whereupon epichlorhydrin is run in and the temperature maintained not above 90 DEG C., so yielding a soft sticky mass; (4) carbon disulphide is reacted with alcoholic potash to form potassium xanthate whereupon epichlorhydrin is added, the temperature being held at 15 DEG C., so forming a fluid product which on heating the mixture at its boiling point is converted to a sticky resin and then to a hard plastic extrudable mass; (5) potash lye is slowly added to a heated mixture of carbon disulphide and epichlorhydrin and the temperature held at 90-100 DEG C. yielding a non-sticky plastic mass; (6) glycerine di-chlorhydrin is added to a stirred mixture of carbon disulphide and aqueous potash and the mixture maintained at reflux temperature yielding a brittle plastic mass. The Specification as open to inspection under Sect. 91, specifies the use of any metal salt of a thiocarbonic acid containing one or more atoms of sulphur in the molecule, one of these sulphur atoms being linked to the carbon atom by a double bond and mentions the trithiocarbonates. This subject-matter does not appear in the Specification as accepted.