Guanidinium thiocyanate

Patent Pending Guanidinium thiocyanate (GITC) is a chemical compound used as a general protein denaturant, being a chaotropic agent, although it is most commonly used in the extraction of DNA and RNA.[1] Note: this compound may also be recognized as guanidine thiocyanate. This is because guanidinium is the conjugate acid of guanidine and is called the guanidinium cation, [CH6N3]+. Guanidinium thiocyanate can be used to deactivate a virus, such as the influenza virus that caused the 1918 "Spanish flu", so that it can be studied safely. This application is presumably based on its denaturation activity.