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Arsenic Research Papers

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Brianna Cross 10/28/16 Chemistry Essay Arsenic Arsenic is one of the most toxic elements that can be found on Earth. Arsenic has a symbol of As and an atomic number of 33. It is a metalloid which gives it both metal and nonmetal characteristics. Arsenic has many allotropes, but the gray form is important for industry. The three main allotropes are metallic gray, black, and yellow. Gray arsenic is brittle and has a low hardness (based on the Moh’s hardness scale) yet a high density. Yellow arsenic is soft and waxy. It is least dense and most toxic. It is also transformed into gray arsenic by light. Black arsenic is brittle and glassy. It is a poor electrical conductor as well. Inorganic and organic compounds of arsenic are found in many places among the earth. Arsenic is discovered in the environment from both nature and certain human activities. Arsenic is usually found in soils, sediments, and groundwater. The process of mining, ore smelting, and industrial use of arsenic can result in these inorganic compounds meeting the surface. Organic arsenic compounds are found in fish, shellfish and …show more content…

Mineral forms of arsenic were known as early as the fourth century BC, but Albertus Magnus, a German scholastic, is usually credited with the discovery of the element around 1250. The first directions for the preparation of metallic arsenic are found in the writings of Paracelsus. The Greeks of the Roman Empire would use this element to kill others. The compound’s lack of color, odor and taste made the sinister hard to detect, as well as the distribution in nature which made it available to all classes. The symptoms of Arsenic were similar to food poisoning and other common disorders which also made it hard to figure out if it was a planned death. These inorganic and organic compounds can be the reason for a harmful human

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