A 1-hydroxyalkyl-5-mercapto-1,2,4-
triazole-3-
carboxylic acid compound of formula (1): in which R1, R2, R3 and R4 are each independently selected from the group consisting of
hydrogen, unsubstituted and substituted C1-C18
alkyl, unsubstituted and substituted C1-C18 alkenyl, unsubstituted and substituted C3-C18 cycloalkyl, unsubstituted and substituted C6-C14
aryl, unsubstituted and substituted C1-C13 heteroaryl, unsubstituted and substituted C7-C18 aralkyl, unsubstituted and substituted C8-C18 arylalkenyl, and unsubstituted and substituted C7-C18 aryloxyalkyl, and n is 1, 2, 3 or 4. A preparation method for the 1-hydroxyalkyl-5-mercapto-1,2,4-
triazole-3-
carboxylic acid compound is also provided, in which a hydroxyalkylhydrazine compound is used as a starting material, and undergoes a
condensation reaction, an addition-cyclization reaction and
dehydrogenation in sequence to obtain the 1-hydroxyalkyl-5-mercapto-1,2,4-
triazole-3-
carboxylic acid compound. An use of such compound in the preparation of a 2-hydroxyalkyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione compound is also provided.