Arsenic By Brandon and Nick

History The word arsenic is dirived from the Persian word Zarnikh which means "yellow orpiment". Albertus Magnus is reported that in the 13th century to be the discoverer of metallic arsenic. However, his report is considered vague. It was not until 1649 that J. Schroder clearly documented the preparation of metallic arsenic by reducing arsenic trioxide with charcoal

History con. Arsenic has been known and used in Persia and elsewhere since ancient times. As the symptoms of arsenic poisoning were somewhat ill-defined, it was frequently used for murder until the advent of the Marsh test, a sensitive chemical test for its presence. During the Bronze Age, arsenic was often included in the bronze (mostly as an impurity), which made the alloy harder

History cont. Due to its use by the ruling class to murder one another and its incredible potency and discreetness, arsenic has been called the Poison of Kings and the King of Poisons. Arsenic became a favorite murder weapon of the Middle Ages, particularly among ruling classes in Italy.

Uses of Arsenic For many years, the greatest use of arsenic was for poisons, and in particular, pesticides. Another use of arsenic is that it can be used as a weapon of war and terror. The last use of arsenic is bronzing A cancer-causing metal.

Famous victims of Arsenic Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany Francesco and his wife were poisoned possibly by his brother and successor Fernando. George III of Great Britain A 2004 study of samples of the King's hair revealed extremely high levels of arsenic, which is a possible trigger of disease symptoms.

Victoms of Arsenic con. Napoleon Bonaparte Forensic samples of his hair did show high levels, 13 times the normal amount, of the element. Charles Francis Hall The american explorer died unexpectedly during his third Arctic expedition aboard the ship Polaris.

Arsenic Victoms con. Huo Yuan Jia There was rumor that he was poisoned in 1910 during his fight with the Japanese, who accused China and the Chinese of being the "sick man of Asia". Clare Boothe Luce Although she did not die from her poisoning, she suffered an increasing variety of physical and psychological symptoms until arsenic poisoning was diagnosed, and its source traced to the old, arsenic-laden flaking paint on the ceiling of her bedroom.

Arsenic Trioxide Arsenic trioxide interferes with the growth of cancer cells, allowing the body to grow an immunity to the cancer cells and destroy them

Reactions Reaction with air: mild’ Reaction with 15 M HNO 3 : mild,

Arsenic Compounds Arsenic Formula: As (metal) Arsenic acid, sodium salt Formula: AsH3O4.xNa Arsenic trioxide Formula: As2O3 Arsenic trioxide Formula: As4O6 Arsine Formula: AsH3 Calcium arsenate Formula: Ca3(AsO4)2 Copper Acetoarsenite Formula: (Cu)3As2O3Cu(C2H2)2 Copper Arsenate Formula: CuHAsO3

Boiling and Melting Point Boiling=613 o C Melting Point=817 o C Freezing Point: -53°C

Physical Properties When heated, arsenic does not melt, as most solids do, instead it changes directly into a gas. The more common form of arsenic is a shiny, gray, brittle, metallic-looking solid. The less common form is a yellow crystalline solid. Under high pressure, arsenic can be forced to melt at about 814°C. Arsenic has a density of 5.72 grams per cubic centimeter.

Chemical Properties Arsenic is a metalloid, a metalloid is an element that has properties of both metals and non-metals. The thin coating of arsenic oxide that forms on the element prevents it from reacting further. Arsenic does not dissolve in water or most cold acids. When heated in air, arsenic combines with oxygen to form arsenic oxide It does react with some hot acids to form arsenous acid

Atomic Structure Atomic Mass: amu Atomic Number: 33 Symbol: As Protons=33 Neutrons: 42 Electrons: 33 Electron shell: 2,8,18,5

References ml ml orarsenic_ html orarsenic_ html htm 33.htm

The End