It is white crystalline solid with ammonia odor, readily soluble in water, slightly soluble in acetone and insoluble in ethanol and diethyl ether.

[3] Fixation involves these chemical reactions (illustrated for silver bromide):[4] Also exploiting the stability of thiosulfate coordination complexes, ammonium thiosulfate is also used for leaching of gold and silver.

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.

[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.