This compound is the product of the half-neutralization of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) with sodium hydroxide (NaOH).

In contrast with sodium sulfide (Na2S), which is insoluble in organic solvents, NaSH, being a 1:1 electrolyte, is more soluble.

At temperatures above 360 K, NaSH adopts the NaCl structure, which implies that the HS− behaves as a spherical anion owing to its rapid rotation, leading to equal occupancy of eight equivalent positions.

One laboratory synthesis entails treatment of sodium ethoxide (NaOEt) with hydrogen sulfide:[2] An alternative method involves reaction of sodium with hydrogen sulfide.

Its main uses are in cloth and paper manufacture as a makeup chemical for sulfur used in the kraft process, as a flotation agent in copper mining where it is used to activate oxide mineral species, and in the leather industry for the removal of hair from hides.