Ammonium_thiosulfate

Ammonium thiosulfate

Ammonium thiosulfate

Chemical compound


Ammonium thiosulfate (ammonium thiosulphate in British English) is an inorganic compound with the formula [NH4]2S2O3. It is white crystalline solid with ammonia odor, readily soluble in water, slightly soluble in acetone and insoluble in ethanol and diethyl ether.[1]

Quick Facts Names, Identifiers ...

Production

It is produced by treating ammonium sulfite with sulfur at temperatures between 85 and 110 °C:[2]

[NH4]2SO3 + S → [NH4]2S2O3

Applications

Ammonium thiosulfate is used in photographic fixer. It is a so-called rapid fixer, acting more quickly than sodium thiosulfate fixers.[3] Fixation involves these chemical reactions (illustrated for silver bromide):[4]

AgBr + 2 [NH4]2S2O3[NH4]3[Ag(S2O3)2] + [NH4]Br
AgBr + 3 [NH4]2S2O3[NH4]5[Ag(S2O3)3] + [NH4]Br

Ammonium thiosulfate is also used for leaching of gold and silver. It works with presence of copper as a catalyst here. This process is a nontoxic alternative gold cyanidation.[5] The advantage to ammonium thiosulfate is that the pyrolysis of its silver complexes leaves a residue solely of silver sulfide, in contrast to complexes derived from sodium thiosulfate.[2]

Other

Ammonium thiosulfate can be used as a fertilizer.[6] As suggested by some research studies, it can also be used as an additive to coal-waste mixtures to reduce formation of dioxins and furans during combustion.[7]

Safety

LD50 (oral, rat) is 2890 mg/kg.[2]

See also


References

  1. J. J. Barbera; A. Metzger; M. Wolf (2012). "Sulfites, Thiosulfates, and Dithionites". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.a25_477. ISBN 978-3527306732.
  2. "Praní černobílých filmů a papírů". Archived from the original on 2012-03-27. Retrieved 2011-07-30.
  3. Keller, Karlheinz (2005). "Photography". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.a20_001. ISBN 978-3527306732.
  4. Aylmore, M.G; Muir, D.M (2001). "Thiosulfate leaching of gold—A review". Minerals Engineering. 14 (2): 135–174. Bibcode:2001MiEng..14..135A. doi:10.1016/S0892-6875(00)00172-2.
  5. McCarty, G. W.; Bremner1, J. M.; Krogmeier1, M. J. (1990). "Evaluation of ammonium thiosulfate as a soil urease inhibitor". Fertilizer Research. 24 (3): 135–139. doi:10.1007/BF01073581. S2CID 28574791.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. Wielgosiński, Grzegorz (2011). "The Reduction of Dioxin Emissions from the Processes of Heat and Power Generation". Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association. 61 (5): 511–526. Bibcode:2011JAWMA..61..511W. doi:10.3155/1047-3289.61.5.511. PMID 21608491. S2CID 44546628.

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