A simple one-step preparation method to prepare gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using 4-acylamidobenzenethiol derivatives as reductive stabilizers has been developed The stabilizers were easily prepared from 4-aminobenzenethiol and dihydroxy fatty acid By simply mixing the stabilizer and a solution of HAuCl4 in methanol or water, we could form AuNPs spontaneously without any additional reagents or physical treatment The diameters of the resulting AuNPs were determined to be 2-5 nm using TEM images