Preparation of Au2S3 and nanocrystalline gold by sonochemical method

We report a new synthesis of Au2S3 by a sonochemical reaction between Au(CH3COO)3 and S in decalin at room temperature in nitrogen atmosphere. When gold acetate is sonicated under similar conditions without the presence of sulfur, nanocrystalline gold is formed. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscope and thermal analysis (TG and DSC). The synthesis procedure is substantially simpler than the previously reported methods.