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
For our science assessment we had the task to research about a metal of our choice. Since I am really into computers, I chose copper. A metal used in all kinds of wires, cpu’s and other stuff without a computer wouldn’t work. This fits really well into what we have to do for the second part, describe how this metal has helped human society.
You have been struggling with the contents of CHEM 200. It is very important for you to work more closely and frequntly with your Achieve tutor for this class. Please, follow your CHEM 202 intructor's advice and go to the tutoring sessions offered by Department of Chemestry to support the work you do at Achieve.
I choose Sulfur because of it’s bright yellow color which really catches your attention. I also found it very interesting how much damage sulfur really is to the human. Plus is a very hard element to locate due to the fact that it can mainly be found by hot springs or volcanoes. Sulfur, also spelled sulphur, is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number of 16. It is an abundant non-metal and at room temperature is a bright yellow crystalline solid. Chemically, sulfur combines with all elements except for gold, platinum, iridium, nitrogen, tellurium, iodine, and the noble gases. Sulfur forms over 30 solid allotropes, more than any other element. Allotropes are different forms in which an element can exist. I picked this element because
Trivalent (arsenite) and pentavalent (arsenate) arsenic produce different effects on cells, yet there is little distinction between the two forms of arsenic when discussing signs and symptoms of poisoning. An important fact to note is that during the metabolism of arsenate, 50-70% of it will be reduced to arsenite in the first step of the process. Therefore, the differences in the cell effects are seen from the 30-50% of the pentavalent arsenic unchanged via the bioactivation step of oxidizing glutathione or enzymatically catalyzed by arsenate reductase.1,2
Mercury, when one hears the word they man instantly think of fish or that old timey class thermometer. Mercury is an element that is found within different regions of the world and can be in inorganic forms such as metallics (Bernhoft 2011). Yet people seem to forget and realize the true harm that come from the chemical itself. However there is one thing that people forget when dealing with any type of metal, it can be a vapor, yes mercury can be vapor (Bernhoft 2011). Rather, in fact, that is another way that many people get sick from mercury because it is in the air and can get into our systems in multiple different ways. However mercury can affect people differently depending upon how much mercury goes into the system and how it goes in (Bernhoft 2011). However the debate as to how the mercury truly affects the body is contervital, it is known that it can cause major damage to many different organs, however it can cause the most damage to the brain. While the amount of damage done depends upon the dosages, if there is a large dosage it
This manual, Hsi Duan Yu, is the first ever written record to show the use of medical knowledge in the solving of criminal cases. In Michael Karagiozis and Richard Sgaglio’s Forensic Investigation Handbook: An Introduction to the Collection, Preservation, Analysis, and Presentation of Evidence, they say, translated, the book “teaches that water in the lungs indicates death by drowning and that strangulation leaves telltale pressure marks on the throat or damaged cartilage in the neck” (Karagiozis & Sgaglio 4). We see little advancement after this point until 1813, when a man by the name of Mathieu Orfila published his work Treatise of General Toxicology, effectively making him not only a fundamental person in the development of forensic science, but also the father of toxicology (Forensic Science Timeline 11). Arsenic was a common poison of that era, because it was not only odorless and tasteless, but it also gave the same symptoms as cholera, a common illness of the time. Which allowed people to often get away with murder. Orfila was able to successfully devise a test that could determine if human tissue had high amounts of arsenic present by testing the dirt around the victim’s gravesite (New York State Police “The
Arsenic can be found on the earth in small concentrations, it exists naturally in soil, minerals, and can even be found in the air due to volcanic eruptions. As result minor amounts are proven to be present in produce and water (LennTech). Despite the prior mining of arsenic in ancient Greek, Chinese and Egyptian culture, arsenic is believed to have been officially discovered by Albertus Magnus, a German alchemist, in the year 1250. Since then arsenic has been most commonly used
Children are at greater risk of arsenic exposure than adults because of the ratio of arsenic consumed to body weight.
Arsenic is a metalloid obtained by Albertus Magnus, a German alchemist. Magnus obtained this by heating soap together with orpiment. Arsenic is used as insecticides and wood preservatives. Today, arsenic in insecticides are restricted due to the FDA. Arsenic is also a cure for humans but it is also deadly. There are two forms of arsenic; inorganic and organic. Inorganic is considered poisonous and organic is considered nontoxic to humans. Inorganic arsenic is formed by the arsenic atoms combining with other elements such as sulfur, oxygen, and chlorine. Organic arsenic is formed when arsenic binds to molecules containing carbon.
The arsenic contaminated water should not be used for drinking. Hospitalization with good nutritional diet reduces the primary symptoms. A high protein diet in food helps in clearance of inorganic arsenic by the process of methylation. Supplemental potassium decreases the risk of experiencing a life threatening heart rhythm problem from arsenic trioxide. The patients should be treated clinically based upon the symptoms. Bronchial irritation must be stopped to prevent arsenic induced bronchitis. Hence the smokers must be motivated to quit smoking (Guha et al, 1998; Saha,
Where dose arsenic occurs- Arsenic occurs in many minerals, it is most often a mix with sulfur and metals.
When aluminum accumulates in the body, it can lead to great number of diseases ranging from brain degeneration to skeletal deformities and that is the main cause for alarm. It is reported that aluminum salts can be absorbed by the gut and concentrated in various human tissues including bone, parathyroid, and brain. High concentrations of aluminum have been detected in brain tissues of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Various reports have suggested that high aluminum intakes may be harmful to some patients with bone diseases or renal impairments.
Arsenic trioxide is used as ingredient compounds like insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, glass, and ceramic [17]. Arsenic trioxide is carcinogen. Strong epidemiological evidence of cancer is in people exposed to arsenic trioxide, like cancers of lung, bladder, kidney, prostate, liver, breast, skin and colon [18]. Trivalent arsenic in the liver converted to non toxic compounds. Arsenic trioxide after ingestion during the methylation reaction as dimethylarsenic acid (50%), methylarsonic acid (14%), pentavalent arsenic (8%) and trivalent arsenic (8%) excreted in urine. The majority of these compounds excreted through the kidneys and a little excreted in feces [19,20].
Allergies are not uncommon and reiterate long-term contact with some metals or their compounds may even cause cancer (Takala, J., 1999) {International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre 1999}. For some heavy metals, toxic levels can be just on top of the background concentrations naturally found in nature. Therefore, it is important for us to inform ourselves about the heavy metals and to take protective measures against excessive exposition. In most accessories in the United States, heavy metal toxicity is an unfamiliar medical condition; however, it is a clinically significant condition when it does occur. If unrecognized or inappropriately treated, poisoning can result in significant illness and reduced fineness of life (Ferner D.J., 2001). For persons who suspicious that they or somebody in their household might have heavy metal toxicity, testing is fundamental. Appropriate conventional and natural medical procedures may need to be pursued (Dupler, D., 2001). The association of symptoms indicative of acute toxicity is not tricky to recognize because the symptoms are usually heavy, rapid in onset, and associated with a known exposition or ingestion (Ferner D.J.,2001) cramping, nausea, and vomiting; pain; sweating; headaches; difficulty breathing; weaken cognitive, motor, and language skills; mania; and
Aluminium, 13th element in periodic table is a silvery-white metal. Aluminium is one of the most widespread metal in the earth’s crust, constituting more than 8% of earth’s core mass. Aluminum is one of the world’s most abundant metals and after oxygen and silicon, aluminium is the third most common element present on earth.