Thiourea (CED0001638)

Thiourea belongs to the thioureas, a class of organosulfur compounds within the organic compounds. This exogenous compound has the formula CH4N2S and an average molecular weight of 76.12 g/mol. At room temperature, it exists as a solid. It is a planar molecule with a C=S bond distance of 1.60±0.1 across a wide range of derivatives, indicating that the bond is insensitive to the nature of the substituent. Thiourea is a versatile reagent in organic synthesis and is used industrially as a humectant and biocide. Industrial applications include the production of flame retardant resins and vulcanization accelerators. It serves as an auxiliary agent in diazo paper and other copy papers, and is used to tone silver-gelatin photographic prints. The liquid silver cleaning product TarnX consists essentially of a thiourea solution. Additionally, selectively oxidizing thiourea creates a leaching agent for gold and silver leaching, bypassing smelting and cyanide use. It also acts as a sulfur source for producing semiconductor cadmium sulfide nanoparticles. Chemically, thiourea reduces peroxides to corresponding diols via an unstable epidioxide intermediate that can only be identified at -100 °C. Thiourea is prohibited for use in food, yet it is found in recorded sources including food processing (processing meats, preparation of wort and vinegar), building and construction materials, electrical and electronic equipment, and various water systems such as drinking water, groundwater, and wastewater. Recorded exposure routes include oral, inhalation, and touch. Biologically, thiourea has been shown to exhibit anti-fungal, anti-viral, and radical scavenger functions, and it targets the estrogen receptor (ESR1).