Arsenic belongs to group VA of the periodic table. It is a steel-gray, brittle, crystalline metal that exists in both free and combined states. This element constitutes 1.5 ppm of the earth?s crust. Arsenic is found in ores, such as mispickel, realgar, mimetite, cobaltite, and erythrite. It can be obtained as a by-product of smelting Copper, Lead, Cobalt, and Gold. Arsenic has three allotropic forms, yellow, black, and gray

Arsenic is a poisonous element that tarnishes when exposed to air. It vaporizes and condenses back to the solid form on heating.

The common uses of Arsenic are:

• In bronzing and pyrotechnics

• As an alloying agent to produce strong, hard, corrosion-resistant alloys

• As a doping agent in solid-state devices

Few common compounds of Arsenic and their uses are:

• Arsenide: To transform electricity into coherent light

• Arsenious Oxide: As an insecticide, and as a reducing agent in volumetric analysis

• Arsenic Trioxide: To treat cancer

Element Properties

Periodic Table