Thiourea

General Product Information

Description

Thiourea is an organic compound. It is a white to light gray crystalline powder, odorless and Highly soluble in water. Thiourea exhibits chemical properties similar to urea, but contains a sulfur atom instead of an oxygen atom. This structure makes it an effective reducing agent and complexing agent. Thiourea is used in various industrial processes, including metalworking, chemical synthesis and mining.

Applications

Thiourea is applied in various ways, for instance:

1. Chemical Industry

Important intermediary at the production of pesticides, rubber accelerators, resins and dyes.

2. Photography

As a fixing and toning agent in analog photography due to its interaction with silver halides.

3. Mining

In hydrometallurgical processes, especially at dissolving precious metals such as gold and silver, thiourea is an alternative to cyanide-containing extraction agents.

4. Metal Industry

Used as an additive at electrolytic plating (including copper and silver). It promotes smooth, shiny deposits and functions as a grain refiner.

5. Textile Industry

Used in bleaching and as an auxiliary agent in the production of synthetic dyes.

Interessing Links

• CAS Common Chemistry – Thiourea
• European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) – For chemical information and regulations.
• PubChem – Thiourea – Chemical information by the National Library of Medicine of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NIH-NCBI).
• Wikipedia – Thiourea