Sodium aurothiosulfate, or sanocrysin, is the

inorganic compound In chemistry, an inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bonds, that is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as '' inorganic chemis ...

with the

formula In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a ''chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science refers to the general construct of a relationship betwe ...

. This salt contains an anionic

coordination complex A coordination complex consists of a central atom or ion, which is usually metallic and is called the ''coordination centre'', and a surrounding array of bound molecules or ions, that are in turn known as '' ligands'' or complexing agents. M ...

of gold(I) bound to two

thiosulfate Thiosulfate ( IUPAC-recommended spelling; sometimes thiosulphate in British English) is an oxyanion of sulfur with the chemical formula . Thiosulfate also refers to the compounds containing this anion, which are the salts of thiosulfuric acid, e ...

ligands. It is colorless.

History

The compound was first synthesized in 1845 by Mathurin-Joseph Fordos and A. Gélis who were researching chemicals used in the

Daguerrotype Daguerreotype (; french: daguerréotype) was the first publicly available photographic process; it was widely used during the 1840s and 1850s. "Daguerreotype" also refers to an image created through this process. Invented by Louis Daguerre ...

photographic process. It then came to be called Fordos and Gélis salt. It went out of interest until 1924 when it was noted as a chemotherapeutic agent for tuberculosis by Holger Møllgaard in Copenhagen. Other methods of synthesis were then identified.

Potential applications

Like several other gold compounds, this species is used as an antirheumatic. The first placebo-controlled trial was probably conducted in 1931, when sanocrysin was compared with distilled water for the treatment of tuberculosis. Aurothiosulfate complexes have been discussed in the context of the extraction of

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

from its ores. The general approach would employ sodium or ammonium thiosulfate in place of cyanide salts as lixiviants.

References

Thiosulfates Gold(I) compounds Sodium compounds Antirheumatic products Metal-containing drugs Gold–sulfur compounds Aurates Source of Chemical Formula: http://medical.merriam-webster.com/medical/gold%20sodium%20thiomalate {{musculoskeletal-drug-stub