| Arsenic information, including Technical Data, Safety Data and its High Purity properties, research, applications and other useful facts are discussed below. Scientific facts such as the atomic structure, ionization energy, abundance on Earth, conductivity and thermal properties are included.
Arsenic has numerous applications as a semiconductor and other electronic applications as Indium arsenide, silicon arsenide and tin arsenide. Arsenic is finding increasing uses as a doping agent in solid-state devices such as transistors. Gallium arsenide is used as a laser material to convert electricity directly into coherent light. Arsenic is used in bronzing and for hardening and improving the sphericity of shot. Due to its toxicity, arsenic compounds are used in insecticides and wood preservation.Arsenic is available as metal and compounds with purities from 99% to 99.9999% (ACS grade to ultra-high purity); metals in the form of foil, sputtering target, and rod, and compounds as submicron and nanopowder.
Arsenic facts, including appearance, CAS #, and molecular formula and safety data, research and properties are available for many specific states, forms and shapes on the product pages listed to the left. Elemental or metallic forms include pellets, rod, wire and granules for evaporation source material purposes. Nanoparticles and nanopowders provide ultra high surface area which nanotechnology research and recent experiments demonstrate function to create new and unique properties and benefits.
Oxides are available in forms including powders and dense pellets for such uses as optical coating and thin film applications. Oxides tend to be insoluble. Fluorides are another insoluble form for uses in which oxygen is undesirable such as metallurgy, chemical and physical vapor deposition and in some optical coatings. Arsenic is available in soluble forms including chlorides, nitrates and acetates. These compounds are also manufactured as solutions at specified stoichiometries.
Arsenic is a Block P, Group 15, Period 4 element. The number of electrons in each of Arsenic's shells is 2, 8, 18, 5 and its electronic configuration is [Ar] 3d10 4s2 4p3. In its elemental form arsenic's CAS number is 1327-53-3. The arsenic atom has a radius of 124.5.pm and it's Van der Waals radius is 185.pm. Arsenic in the organic form is not harmful but in the inorganic form it is extremely toxic even in very small amounts.
All elemental metals, compounds and solutions may be synthesized in ultra high purity (e.g. 99.999%) for laboratory standards, advanced electronic, thin fillm deposition using sputtering targets andevaporation materials, metallurgy and optical materials and other high technology applications. Information is provided for stable (non-radioactive) isotopes. Organo-Metallic Arsenic compounds are soluble in organic or non-aqueous solvents. See Analytical Services for information on available certified chemical and physical analysis techniques including MS-ICP, X-Ray Diffraction, PSD and Surface Area (BET) analysis.
Arsenic was first discovered by Early Man.
Arsenic |
Arsen |
Arsenico |
Arsênic |
Arsénico |
Arsenik |
Abundance. The following table shows the abundance of arsenic and each of its naturally occurring isotopes on Earth along with the atomic mass for each isotope.
| Isotope |
Atomic Mass |
% Abundance on Earth |
| As-75 |
74.921596 |
100 |
The following table shows the abundance of Arsenic present in the human body and in the universe scaled to parts per billion (ppb) by weight and by atom:
| |
Typical Human Body |
Universe |
| by Weight |
50 ppb |
8 ppb |
| by Atom |
4 ppb |
0.1 ppb |
Safety Data and Biological Role. The safety data for arsenic metal, nanoparticles and its compounds can vary widely depending on the form. For potential hazard information, toxicity, and road, sea and air transportation limitations, such as DOT Hazard Class, DOT Number, EU Number, NFPA Health rating and RTECS Class, please see the specific material or compound referenced in the left margin. Arsenic compounds are a necessary ultratrace element in red algae, chickens, rats, goats, and pigs .
Ionization Energy. The ionization energy for arsenic (the least required energy to release a single electron from the atom in it's ground state in the gas phase) is stated in the following table:
| 1st Ionization Energy |
944.46 kJ mol-1 |
| 2nd Ionization Energy |
1797.82 kJ mol-1 |
| 3rd Ionization Energy |
2735.48 kJ mol-1 |
Conductivity. As to arsenic's electrical and thermal conductivity, the electrical conductivity measured as to electrical resistivity @ 20 ºC is 33.3 μΩcm and its electronegativities (or its ability to draw electrons relative to other elements) is 2.18. The thermal conductivity of arsenic is 50 W m-1 K-1.
Thermal Properties. The melting point and boiling point for arsenic are stated below. The following chart sets forth the heat of fusion, heat of vaporization and heat of atomization.
| Heat of Fusion |
27.7 kJ mol-1 |
| Heat of Vaporization |
31.9 kJ mol-1 |
| Heat of Atomization |
301.42 kJ mol-1 |
Recent Research & Development for Arsenic
- Arsenic and its combinations in cancer therapeutics.
Prajapati V, Kale RK, Singh RP.
Ther Deliv. 2011 Jun;2(6):793-806.
PMID:
22822509
[PubMed - in process]
- An investigation of arsenic contamination in Peninsular Malaysia based on Centella asiatica and soil samples.
Ong GH, Yap CK, Maziah M, Suhaimi H, Tan SG.
Environ Monit Assess. 2012 Jul 22. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22821327
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
- Assessment of heavy metals in water samples and tissues of edible fish species from Awassa and Koka Rift Valley Lakes, Ethiopia.
Dsikowitzky L, Mengesha M, Dadebo E, de Carvalho CE, Sindern S.
Environ Monit Assess. 2012 Jul 22. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22821322
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
- Impact of sampling frequency on mean concentrations and estimated loads of suspended sediment in a Norwegian river: Implications for water management.
Skarbøvik E, Stålnacke P, Bogen J, Bønsnes TE.
Sci Total Environ. 2012 Jul 20;433C:462-471. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22820615
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
- Accumulation of arsenic by aquatic plants in large-scale field conditions: Opportunities for phytoremediation and bioindication.
Favas PJ, Pratas J, Prasad MN.
Sci Total Environ. 2012 Jul 20;433C:390-397. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22820614
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
- Quantification of trace arsenic in soils by field-portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry: Considerations for sample preparation and measurement conditions.
Parsons C, Margui Grabulosa E, Pili E, Floor GH, Roman-Ross G, Charlet L.
J Hazard Mater. 2012 Jul 8. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22819961
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
- Origin, mobility, and temporal evolution of arsenic from a low-contamination catchment in Alpine crystalline rocks.
Pili E, Tisserand D, Bureau S.
J Hazard Mater. 2012 Jul 7. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22819960
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
- Treatment of mining acidic leachates with indigenous limestone, zimapan mexico.
Labastida I, Armienta MA, Lara-Castro RH, Aguayo A, Cruz O, Ceniceros N.
J Hazard Mater. 2012 Jul 7. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22819958
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
- Adsorption behavior of arsenic relating to different natural solids: Soils, stream sediments and peats.
Dousova B, Buzek F, Rothwell J, Krejcova S, Lhotka M.
Sci Total Environ. 2012 Jul 19;433C:456-461. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22819895
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
- Arsenic speciation and trace element analysis of the volcanic río Agrio and the geothermal waters of Copahue, Argentina.
Farnfield HR, Marcilla AL, Ward NI.
Sci Total Environ. 2012 Jul 19;433C:371-378. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22819888
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
- The role of drinking water sources, consumption of vegetables and seafood in relation to blood arsenic concentrations of Jamaican children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Rahbar MH, Samms-Vaughan M, Ardjomand-Hessabi M, Loveland KA, Dickerson AS, Chen Z, Bressler J, Shakespeare-Pellington S, Grove ML, Bloom K, Wirth J, Pearson DA, Boerwinkle E.
Sci Total Environ. 2012 Jul 19;433C:362-370. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22819887
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
- Effects of hypochlorous acid exposure on the rejection of salt, polyethylene glycols, boron and arsenic(V) by nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes.
Do VT, Tang CY, Reinhard M, Leckie JO.
Water Res. 2012 Jul 7. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22818949
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
- Arsenic contamination in the food chain and its risk assessment of populations residing in the Mekong River basin of Cambodia.
Phan K, Sthiannopkao S, Heng S, Phan S, Huoy L, Wong MH, Kim KW.
J Hazard Mater. 2012 Jul 7. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22818591
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
- An Updated Inhalation Unit Risk Factor for Arsenic and Inorganic Arsenic Compounds Based on a Combined Analysis of Epidemiology Studies.
Erraguntla NK, Sielken RL, Valdez-Flores C, Grant RL.
Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2012 Jul 16. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22813725
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
- Synthesis, Spectral, and Electrochemical Characterization of the First Arsenic(V)-Phthalocyanines.
Isago H, Kagaya Y.
Inorg Chem. 2012 Jul 19. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22812716
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
- Groundwater iron assessment and consumption by women in rural northwestern bangladesh.
Merrill R, Shamim A, Ali H, Jahan N, Labrique A, Christian P, West K.
Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2012 Jan;82(1):5-14.
PMID:
22811372
[PubMed - in process]
- Metabolism of arsenic and its toxicological relevance.
Watanabe T, Hirano S.
Arch Toxicol. 2012 Jul 19. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22811022
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
- Linking geochemical processes in mud volcanoes with arsenic mobilization driven by organic matter.
Liu CC, Kar S, Jean JS, Wang CH, Lee YC, Sracek O, Li Z, Bundschuh J, Yang HJ, Chen CY.
J Hazard Mater. 2012 Jul 1. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22809631
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
- Multilayer assemblies of polyelectrolyte-gold nanoparticles for the electrocatalytic oxidation and detection of arsenic(III).
Ottakam Thotiyl MM, Basit H, Sánchez JA, Goyer C, Coche-Guerente L, Dumy P, Sampath S, Labbé P, Moutet JC.
J Colloid Interface Sci. 2012 Jun 26. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22809547
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
- [Pathology and neurophysiology analysis for peripheral neuropathy of four patients with chemicals poisoning].
Zhang JB, Zhang QY, Wang Y, Sun DY.
Zhonghua Lao Dong Wei Sheng Zhi Ye Bing Za Zhi. 2012 Feb;30(2):126-9; discussion 129-30. Chinese.
PMID:
22808547
[PubMed - in process]
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