Thiol ligands are capable of partially displacing cyanide from Au(CN),-, demonstrating that their affinity for gold(1) is very high. Raman and 13C N M R evidence for the formation in solution of mixed-ligand complexes, RSAuCN-, which disproportionate to Au(CN),-and (RS),Au-, is presented. With use of literature values for reduction potentials, the conditional equilibrium formation constants at pH 7.0 of (cysteinato)gold(I), K = 1.5 X and bis(cysteinato)gold(I), K = 3 X IO2*, were calculated for comparison to the formation constants of Au(CN),-. A potential gold metabolite, bis(glutathionato)goId(I), was generated in situ, characterized by "C N M R , and studied in reactions with cyanide.