Arsenic
Arsenic, #33 on the periodic table, is special in that instead of melting and
boiling, it sublimates at 602.85 degrees C. The metallic allotrope has a density
of 5.78 g/cm cubed, and the yellow allotrope has a density of 1.97 g/cm cubed.
As' electron levels are 2-8-18-5, and valences of 0, + and - 5, and + and - 3. A
member of the nitrogen group, arsenic was known to the ancients. It is well known
that arsenic is a deadly poison, and for this reason has been eliminated from
industrial uses. Arsenic's compounds, such as arsenic acid and arsenic trichloride,
are carcinogenic and poisonous, as they can release the deadly gas arsine. Arsenic
can be a silver-gray brittle, crystalline solid, or a black or yellow form. Exposure
to arsenic can cause health problems ranging from nausea and poor appetite to liver
damage, and the destruction of red blood cells.
May 18, 1997
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