INTRODUCTION
Arsenic is extremely poisonous semimetallic element and ranks about 52nd in natural abundance among the elements in crustal rocks.Its pure element can be easily prepared by heating a common ore called arsenopyrite (FeAsS).
It occur as a Gray metallic element, Yellow non-metallic elements and other minute forms.Arsenic has been known since ancient times.
BASIC INFORMATIONS
- Atomic Number
- 33
- Atomic Mass
- 74.9216
- Atomic radius
- 0.121
- Ionization energy
- 947
- Electronic config
- 2,8,18,5
- Principal Valency
- +5
- Density g/cm³
- 5.77
- Melting point °C
- 817
- Boiling point °C
- 614
- Type of Element
- Metalloid
- Electronegativity
- 2.0
- Element Category
- Nitrogen Family
- Appearance
- Gray and Yellow
- Block
- p-block
- Period
- 4
- Group
- 15
- No of Isotopes
- 33
- Occurrence
- Pure and Combine
- Abundance in ppm
- 1.8
- Year of Discovery
- N/A
EXTRACTION
Heating of its Ore and collected by sublimation
OXIDATION STATES
+5,+3,+2,+1,-3 (Mildly acidic)
MAJOR SOURCE
Arsenopyrite, Realgar, Orpiment
EXAMPLES OF COMPOUND PRESENT
Arsenic trioxide, Calcium arsenate, Gallium arsenide
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
* It is chiefly used in the manufacture of glass to eliminate a green color caused by impurities of iron compounds.
* It is sometimes added to lead to harden it and also used in the manufacture of military poison gases as lewisite and adamsite.
* Before the introduction of penicillin, arsenic was of great importance in the treatment of syphilis.
* Arsenic disulfide,popularly known as red orpiment and ruby arsenic, is used as a pigment in the manufacture of paints and fireworks.
