Arsenic is a
chemical element
A chemical element is a species of atoms that have a given number of protons in their atomic nucleus, nuclei, including the pure Chemical substance, substance consisting only of that species. Unlike chemical compounds, chemical elements canno ...
with the
symbol As and
atomic number 33. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in combination with
sulfur and
metal
A metal (from ancient Greek, Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, e ...
s, but also as a pure elemental
crystal. Arsenic is a
metalloid. It has various
allotropes, but only the gray form, which has a metallic appearance, is important to industry.
The primary use of arsenic is in alloys of
lead (for example, in
car batteries and
ammunition). Arsenic is a common n-type
dopant
A dopant, also called a doping agent, is a trace of impurity element that is introduced into a chemical material to alter its original electrical or optical properties. The amount of dopant necessary to cause changes is typically very low. Whe ...
in
semiconductor
A semiconductor is a material which has an electrical conductivity value falling between that of a conductor, such as copper, and an insulator, such as glass. Its resistivity falls as its temperature rises; metals behave in the opposite way ...
electronic devices. It is also a component of the III-V
compound semiconductor gallium arsenide. Arsenic and its compounds, especially the trioxide, are used in the production of
pesticides, treated wood products,
herbicides, and
insecticides. These applications are declining with the increasing recognition of the toxicity of arsenic and its compounds.
A few species of bacteria are able to use arsenic compounds as respiratory
metabolites. Trace quantities of arsenic are an essential
dietary element in rats, hamsters, goats, chickens, and presumably other species. A role in human metabolism is not known. However,
arsenic poisoning occurs in multicellular life if quantities are larger than needed.
Arsenic contamination of groundwater is a problem that affects millions of people across the world.
The
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
'
Environmental Protection Agency states that all forms of arsenic are a serious risk to human health.
The United States'
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is a federal public health agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The agency focuses on minimizing human health risks associated with exposure to haz ...
ranked arsenic as number 1 in its 2001 Priority List of
Hazardous Substances at
Superfund sites. Arsenic is classified as a Group-A
carcinogen
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that promotes carcinogenesis (the formation of cancer). This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes. Several radioactive sub ...
.
Characteristics
Physical characteristics
The three most common arsenic
allotropes are gray, yellow, and black arsenic, with gray being the most common.
Gray arsenic (α-As,
space group Rm No. 166) adopts a double-layered structure consisting of many interlocked, ruffled, six-membered rings. Because of weak bonding between the layers, gray arsenic is brittle and has a relatively low
Mohs hardness
The Mohs scale of mineral hardness () is a qualitative ordinal scale, from 1 to 10, characterizing scratch resistance of various minerals through the ability of harder material to scratch softer material.
The scale was introduced in 1812 by ...
of 3.5. Nearest and next-nearest neighbors form a distorted octahedral complex, with the three atoms in the same double-layer being slightly closer than the three atoms in the next.
This relatively close packing leads to a high density of 5.73 g/cm
3.
Gray arsenic is a
semimetal, but becomes a
semiconductor
A semiconductor is a material which has an electrical conductivity value falling between that of a conductor, such as copper, and an insulator, such as glass. Its resistivity falls as its temperature rises; metals behave in the opposite way ...
with a
bandgap of 1.2–1.4 eV if amorphized. Gray arsenic is also the most stable form.
Yellow arsenic is soft and waxy, and somewhat similar to
tetraphosphorus
Elemental phosphorus can exist in several allotropes, the most common of which are white and red solids. Solid violet and black allotropes are also known. Gaseous phosphorus exists as diphosphorus and atomic phosphorus.
White phosphorus
White ...
(). Both have four atoms arranged in a
tetrahedral structure in which each atom is bound to each of the other three atoms by a single bond. This unstable allotrope, being molecular, is the most volatile, least dense, and most toxic. Solid yellow arsenic is produced by rapid cooling of arsenic vapor, . It is rapidly transformed into gray arsenic by light. The yellow form has a density of 1.97 g/cm
3.
Black arsenic is similar in structure to
black phosphorus
Elemental phosphorus can exist in several allotropes, the most common of which are white and red solids. Solid violet and black allotropes are also known. Gaseous phosphorus exists as diphosphorus and atomic phosphorus.
White phosphorus
White ...
.
Black arsenic can also be formed by cooling vapor at around 100–220 °C and by crystallization of amorphous arsenic in the presence of mercury vapors. It is glassy and brittle. Black arsenic is also a poor electrical conductor. As arsenic's triple point is at 3.628 MPa (35.81 atm), it does not have a melting point at
standard pressure but instead sublimes from solid to vapor at 887 K (615 °C or 1137 °F).
Isotopes
Arsenic occurs in nature as one stable
isotope
Isotopes are two or more types of atoms that have the same atomic number (number of protons in their nuclei) and position in the periodic table (and hence belong to the same chemical element), and that differ in nucleon numbers ( mass num ...
,
75As, a
monoisotopic element.
As of 2003, at least 33
radioisotopes have also been synthesized, ranging in
atomic mass from 60 to 92. The most stable of these is
73As with a
half-life
Half-life (symbol ) is the time required for a quantity (of substance) to reduce to half of its initial value. The term is commonly used in nuclear physics to describe how quickly unstable atoms undergo radioactive decay or how long stable ...
of 80.30 days. All other isotopes have half-lives of under one day, with the exception of
71As (''t''
1/2=65.30 hours),
72As (''t''
1/2=26.0 hours),
74As (''t''
1/2=17.77 days),
76As (''t''
1/2=1.0942 days), and
77As (''t''
1/2=38.83 hours). Isotopes that are lighter than the stable
75As tend to decay by
β+ decay, and those that are heavier tend to decay by
β− decay, with some exceptions.
At least 10
nuclear isomers have been described, ranging in atomic mass from 66 to 84. The most stable of arsenic's isomers is
68mAs with a half-life of 111 seconds.
Chemistry
Arsenic has a similar electronegativity and ionization energies to its lighter congener phosphorus and accordingly readily forms covalent molecules with most of the nonmetals. Though stable in dry air, arsenic forms a golden-bronze tarnish upon exposure to humidity which eventually becomes a black surface layer.
[Greenwood and Earnshaw, pp. 552–4] When heated in air, arsenic
oxidizes
Redox (reduction–oxidation, , ) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of substrate change. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is the gain of electrons or a d ...
to
arsenic trioxide; the fumes from this reaction have an odor resembling
garlic. This odor can be detected on striking
arsenide minerals such as
arsenopyrite with a hammer.
It burns in oxygen to form arsenic trioxide and
arsenic pentoxide, which have the same structure as the more well-known phosphorus compounds, and in fluorine to give
arsenic pentafluoride.
Arsenic (and some arsenic compounds)
sublimes upon heating at atmospheric pressure, converting directly to a gaseous form without an intervening liquid state at .
The
triple point
In thermodynamics, the triple point of a substance is the temperature and pressure at which the three phases (gas, liquid, and solid) of that substance coexist in thermodynamic equilibrium.. It is that temperature and pressure at which the ...
is 3.63 MPa and .
Arsenic makes
arsenic acid
Arsenic acid or trihydrogen arsenate is the chemical compound with the formula . More descriptively written as , this colorless acid is the arsenic analogue of phosphoric acid. Arsenate and phosphate salts behave very similarly. Arsenic acid as su ...
with concentrated
nitric acid,
arsenous acid with dilute nitric acid, and
arsenic trioxide with concentrated
sulfuric acid; however, it does not react with water, alkalis, or non-oxidising acids. Arsenic reacts with metals to form
arsenides, though these are not ionic compounds containing the As
3− ion as the formation of such an anion would be highly endothermic and even the group 1 arsenides have properties of
intermetallic
An intermetallic (also called an intermetallic compound, intermetallic alloy, ordered intermetallic alloy, and a long-range-ordered alloy) is a type of metallic alloy that forms an ordered solid-state compound between two or more metallic eleme ...
compounds.
Like
germanium,
selenium, and
bromine, which like arsenic
succeed the 3d transition series, arsenic is much less stable in the group oxidation state of +5 than its vertical neighbors phosphorus and antimony, and hence arsenic pentoxide and arsenic acid are potent oxidizers.
Compounds
Compounds of arsenic resemble in some respects those of
phosphorus
Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Ea ...
which occupies the same
group (column) of the
periodic table. The most common
oxidation states for arsenic are: −3 in the
arsenides, which are alloy-like intermetallic compounds, +3 in the
arsenites, and +5 in the
arsenates and most organoarsenic compounds. Arsenic also bonds readily to itself as seen in the square ions in the mineral
skutterudite. In the +3
oxidation state, arsenic is typically pyramidal owing to the influence of the
lone pair of
electron
The electron ( or ) is a subatomic particle with a negative one elementary electric charge. Electrons belong to the first generation of the lepton particle family,
and are generally thought to be elementary particles because they have n ...
s.
Inorganic compounds
One of the simplest arsenic compounds is the trihydride, the highly toxic, flammable,
pyrophoric
A substance is pyrophoric (from grc-gre, πυροφόρος, , 'fire-bearing') if it ignites spontaneously in air at or below (for gases) or within 5 minutes after coming into contact with air (for liquids and solids). Examples are organolith ...
arsine
Arsine (IUPAC name: arsane) is an inorganic compound with the formula As H3. This flammable, pyrophoric, and highly toxic pnictogen hydride gas is one of the simplest compounds of arsenic. Despite its lethality, it finds some applications ...
(AsH
3). This compound is generally regarded as stable, since at room temperature it decomposes only slowly. At temperatures of 250–300 °C decomposition to arsenic and hydrogen is rapid.
[Greenwood and Earnshaw, pp. 557–558] Several factors, such as
humidity, presence of light and certain
catalyst
Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...
s (namely
aluminium
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It ha ...
) facilitate the rate of decomposition.
It oxidises readily in air to form arsenic trioxide and water, and analogous reactions take place with
sulfur and
selenium instead of
oxygen
Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements ...
.
Arsenic forms colorless, odorless, crystalline
oxides
As2O3 ("
white arsenic
Arsenic trioxide, sold under the brand name Trisenox among others, is an inorganic compound and medication. As an industrial chemical, whose major uses include in the manufacture of wood preservatives, pesticides, and glass. As a medication, it ...
") and
As2O5 which are
hygroscopic and readily soluble in water to form acidic solutions.
Arsenic(V) acid is a weak acid and the salts are called
arsenates,
the most common
arsenic contamination of groundwater, and a problem that affects many people. Synthetic arsenates include
Scheele's Green (cupric hydrogen arsenate, acidic copper arsenate),
calcium arsenate
Calcium arsenate is the inorganic compound with the formula Ca3(AsO4)2. A colourless salt, it was originally used as a pesticide and as a germicide. It is highly soluble in water, in contrast to lead arsenate, which makes it more toxic. The minera ...
, and
lead hydrogen arsenate. These three have been used as
agricultural insecticides and
poisons.
The protonation steps between the arsenate and arsenic acid are similar to those between
phosphate and
phosphoric acid. Unlike
phosphorous acid,
arsenous acid is genuinely tribasic, with the formula As(OH)
3.
[Greenwood and Earnshaw, pp. 572–578]
A broad variety of sulfur compounds of arsenic are known. Orpiment (
As2S3) and realgar (
As4S4) are somewhat abundant and were formerly used as painting pigments. In As
4S
10, arsenic has a formal oxidation state of +2 in As
4S
4 which features As-As bonds so that the total covalency of As is still 3. Both orpiment and realgar, as well as As
4S
3, have selenium analogs; the analogous As
2Te
3 is known as the mineral
kalgoorlieite
Kalgoorlieite (IMA2015-119) is a mineral from Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.
Kalgoorlieite is the fourth oxygen-free arsenic-tellurium mineral after benleonardite, debattistiite, and törnroosite.
It was discovered in 2015 by a Curtin Unive ...
, and the anion As
2Te
− is known as a ligand in
cobalt complexes.
[Greenwood and Earnshaw, pp. 578–583]
All trihalides of arsenic(III) are well known except the astatide, which is unknown.
Arsenic pentafluoride (AsF
5) is the only important pentahalide, reflecting the lower stability of the +5 oxidation state; even so, it is a very strong fluorinating and oxidizing agent. (The
pentachloride is stable only below −50 °C, at which temperature it decomposes to the trichloride, releasing chlorine gas.
)
Alloys
Arsenic is used as the group 5 element in the
III-V semiconductors
gallium arsenide,
indium arsenide, and
aluminium arsenide
Aluminium arsenide () is a semiconductor material with almost the same lattice constant as gallium arsenide and aluminium gallium arsenide and wider band gap than gallium arsenide. (AlAs) can form a superlattice with gallium arsenide ( GaAs) which ...
. The valence electron count of GaAs is the same as a pair of Si atoms, but the
band structure
In solid-state physics, the electronic band structure (or simply band structure) of a solid describes the range of energy levels that electrons may have within it, as well as the ranges of energy that they may not have (called ''band gaps'' or ...
is completely different which results in distinct bulk properties. Other arsenic alloys include the II-V semiconductor
cadmium arsenide.
Organoarsenic compounds
A large variety of organoarsenic compounds are known. Several were developed as
chemical warfare agents during World War I, including
vesicants such as
lewisite and vomiting agents such as
adamsite.
Cacodylic acid, which is of historic and practical interest, arises from the
methylation of arsenic trioxide, a reaction that has no analogy in phosphorus chemistry.
Cacodyl was the first organometallic compound known (even though arsenic is not a true metal) and was named from the Greek ''κακωδία'' "stink" for its offensive odor; it is very poisonous.
[Greenwood, p. 584]
Occurrence and production
Arsenic comprises about 1.5
ppm (0.00015%) of the
Earth's crust, and is the 53rd most abundant element. Typical background concentrations of arsenic do not exceed 3 ng/m
3 in the atmosphere; 100 mg/kg in soil; 400 μg/kg in vegetation; 10 μg/L in freshwater and 1.5 μg/L in seawater.
Mineral
In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2 ...
s with the formula MAsS and MAs
2 (M =
Fe,
Ni,
Co) are the dominant commercial sources of arsenic, together with
realgar (an arsenic sulfide mineral) and native (elemental) arsenic. An illustrative mineral is
arsenopyrite (
FeAs
S), which is structurally related to
iron pyrite
The mineral pyrite (), or iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula Fe S2 (iron (II) disulfide). Pyrite is the most abundant sulfide mineral.
Pyrite's metallic luster and pale brass-yellow hue gi ...
. Many minor As-containing minerals are known. Arsenic also occurs in various organic forms in the environment.
In 2014, China was the top producer of white arsenic with almost 70% world share, followed by Morocco, Russia, and Belgium, according to the
British Geological Survey and the
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...
.
Most arsenic refinement operations in the US and Europe have closed over environmental concerns. Arsenic is found in the smelter dust from
copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pink ...
,
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...
, and
lead smelters, and is recovered primarily from copper refinement dust.
On
roasting arsenopyrite in air, arsenic sublimes as arsenic(III) oxide leaving iron oxides,
while roasting without air results in the production of gray arsenic. Further purification from sulfur and other chalcogens is achieved by
sublimation in vacuum, in a hydrogen atmosphere, or by distillation from molten lead-arsenic mixture.
History
The word ''arsenic'' has its origin in the
Syriac word ''(al) zarniqa'',
from Arabic al-zarnīḵ 'the
orpiment', based on
Persian zar 'gold' from the word ''zarnikh'', meaning "yellow" (literally "gold-colored") and hence "(yellow) orpiment". It was adopted into
Greek as ''arsenikon'' (), a form that is
folk etymology, being the neuter form of the Greek word ''arsenikos'' (), meaning "male", "virile".
The Greek word was adopted in Latin as ''arsenicum'', which in French became ''arsenic'', from which the English word arsenic is taken.
Arsenic sulfides (orpiment,
realgar) and oxides have been known and used since ancient times.
Zosimos (circa 300 AD) describes roasting ''sandarach'' (realgar) to obtain ''cloud of arsenic'' (
arsenic trioxide), which he then
reduces to gray arsenic. As the symptoms of
arsenic poisoning are not very specific, it was frequently used for
murder until the advent of the
Marsh test
The Marsh test is a highly sensitive method in the detection of arsenic, especially useful in the field of forensic toxicology when arsenic was used as a poison. It was developed by the chemist James Marsh and first published in 1836. The met ...
, a sensitive chemical test for its presence. (Another less sensitive but more general test is the
Reinsch test.) Owing to its use by the ruling class to murder one another and its potency and discreetness, arsenic has been called the "poison of kings" and the "king of poisons". In the Renaissance era, arsenic was known as “inheritance powder” due to use in killing family members.
During the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
, arsenic was often included in
bronze, which made the alloy harder (so-called "
arsenical bronze").
The isolation of arsenic was described by
Jabir ibn Hayyan before 815 AD.
[ George Sarton, ''Introduction to the History of Science''. "We find in his writings ..preparation of various substances (e.g., basic lead carbonatic, arsenic and antimony from their sulphides)."] Albertus Magnus (Albert the Great, 1193–1280) later isolated the element from a compound in 1250, by heating soap together with
arsenic trisulfide.
In 1649,
Johann Schröder published two ways of preparing arsenic. Crystals of elemental (native) arsenic are found in nature, although rare.
Cadet's fuming liquid (impure
cacodyl), often claimed as the first synthetic
organometallic compound, was synthesized in 1760 by
Louis Claude Cadet de Gassicourt by the reaction of
potassium acetate with
arsenic trioxide.
In the
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwa ...
, "arsenic" ("white arsenic" or arsenic trioxide) was mixed with
vinegar and
chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor. C ...
and eaten by women to improve the
complexion of their faces, making their skin paler to show they did not work in the fields. The accidental use of arsenic in the adulteration of foodstuffs led to the
Bradford sweet poisoning in 1858, which resulted in 21 deaths.
Wallpaper production also began to use dyes made from arsenic, which was thought to increase the pigment's brightness.
Two arsenic pigments have been widely used since their discovery –
Paris Green and
Scheele's Green. After the toxicity of arsenic became widely known, these chemicals were used less often as pigments and more often as insecticides. In the 1860s, an arsenic byproduct of dye production, London Purple, was widely used. This was a solid mixture of arsenic trioxide, aniline, lime, and ferrous oxide, insoluble in water and very toxic by inhalation or ingestion But it was later replaced with Paris Green, another arsenic-based dye. With better understanding of the toxicology mechanism, two other compounds were used starting in the 1890s.
Arsenite of lime and
arsenate of lead were used widely as insecticides until the discovery of
DDT in 1942.
Applications
Agricultural
The toxicity of arsenic to
insect
Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pa ...
s,
bacteria, and
fungi
A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately fr ...
led to its use as a wood preservative. In the 1930s, a process of treating wood with
chromated copper arsenate Chromated copper arsenate (CCA) is a wood preservative containing compounds of chromium, copper, and arsenic, in various proportions. It is used to impregnate timber and other wood products, especially those intended for outdoor use, in order to p ...
(also known as CCA or
Tanalith) was invented, and for decades, this treatment was the most extensive industrial use of arsenic. An increased appreciation of the toxicity of arsenic led to a ban of CCA in consumer products in 2004, initiated by the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...
and United States.
However, CCA remains in heavy use in other countries (such as on Malaysian rubber plantations).
Arsenic was also used in various agricultural insecticides and poisons. For example,
lead hydrogen arsenate was a common insecticide on
fruit trees, but contact with the compound sometimes resulted in
brain damage among those working the sprayers. In the second half of the 20th century,
monosodium methyl arsenate (MSMA) and
disodium methyl arsenate (DSMA) – less toxic organic forms of arsenic – replaced lead arsenate in agriculture. These organic arsenicals were in turn phased out by 2013 in all agricultural activities except cotton farming.
The biogeochemistry of arsenic is complex and includes various adsorption and desorption processes. The toxicity of arsenic is connected to its solubility and is affected by pH. Arsenite () is more soluble than arsenate () and is more toxic; however, at a lower pH, arsenate becomes more mobile and toxic. It was found that addition of sulfur, phosphorus, and iron oxides to high-arsenite soils greatly reduces arsenic phytotoxicity.
Arsenic is used as a feed additive in
poultry
Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for their eggs, their meat or their feathers. These birds are most typically members of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes (which includes chickens, qu ...
and
swine production, in particular in the U.S. to increase weight gain, improve
feed efficiency, and prevent disease. An example is
roxarsone, which had been used as a
broiler
A broiler is any chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') that is bred and raised specifically for meat production. Most commercial broilers reach slaughter weight between four and six weeks of age, although slower growing breeds reach slaugh ...
starter by about 70% of U.S. broiler growers. Alpharma, a subsidiary of Pfizer Inc., which produces roxarsone, voluntarily suspended sales of the drug in response to studies showing elevated levels of inorganic arsenic, a carcinogen, in treated chickens.
A successor to Alpharma,
Zoetis, continues to sell
nitarsone, primarily for use in turkeys.
Arsenic is intentionally added to the feed of
chickens
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...
raised for human consumption. Organic arsenic compounds are less toxic than pure arsenic, and promote the growth of chickens. Under some conditions, the arsenic in
chicken feed
Poultry feed is food for farm poultry, including chickens, ducks, geese and other domestic birds.
Before the twentieth century, poultry were mostly kept on general farms, and foraged for much of their feed, eating insects, grain spilled by catt ...
is converted to the toxic inorganic form.
A 2006 study of the remains of the
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
n racehorse,
Phar Lap, determined that the 1932 death of the famous champion was caused by a massive overdose of arsenic. Sydney veterinarian Percy Sykes stated, "In those days, arsenic was quite a common tonic, usually given in the form of a solution (
Fowler's Solution) ... It was so common that I'd reckon 90 per cent of the horses had arsenic in their system."
Medical use
During the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a number of arsenic compounds were used as medicines, including
arsphenamine (by
Paul Ehrlich) and
arsenic trioxide (by
Thomas Fowler).
Arsphenamine, as well as
neosalvarsan, was indicated for
syphilis, but has been superseded by modern
antibiotics
An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and preventio ...
. However, arsenicals such as
melarsoprol are still used for the treatment of
trypanosomiasis, since although these drugs have the disadvantage of severe toxicity, the disease is almost uniformly fatal if untreated.
Arsenic trioxide has been used in a variety of ways since the 15th century, most commonly in the treatment of
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
, but also in medications as diverse as
Fowler's solution in
psoriasis
Psoriasis is a long-lasting, noncontagious autoimmune disease characterized by raised areas of abnormal skin. These areas are red, pink, or purple, dry, itchy, and scaly. Psoriasis varies in severity from small, localized patches to comple ...
. The US
Food and Drug Administration in the year 2000 approved this compound for the treatment of patients with
acute promyelocytic leukemia that is resistant to
all-trans retinoic acid.
A 2008 paper reports success in locating tumors using arsenic-74 (a positron emitter). This isotope produces clearer
PET scan
Positron emission tomography (PET) is a functional imaging technique that uses radioactive substances known as radiotracers to visualize and measure changes in metabolic processes, and in other physiological activities including blood flo ...
images than the previous radioactive agent,
iodine-124, because the body tends to transport iodine to the thyroid gland producing signal noise.
Nanoparticles of arsenic have shown ability to kill cancer cells with lesser
cytotoxicity than other arsenic formulations.
In subtoxic doses, soluble arsenic compounds act as
stimulants, and were once popular in small doses as medicine by people in the mid-18th to 19th centuries;
its use as a stimulant was especially prevalent as sport animals such as
race horses
Race Horses were a Welsh band based in Cardiff, Wales and originally from Aberystwyth. Formed in 2005 as Radio Luxembourg, they changed their name in 2009 due to possible legal problems with the radio station of the same name. Initially the ...
or with
work dogs.
Alloys
The main use of arsenic is in alloying with lead. Lead components in
car batteries are strengthened by the presence of a very small percentage of arsenic.
Dezincification of brass (a copper-zinc alloy) is greatly reduced by the addition of arsenic. "Phosphorus Deoxidized Arsenical Copper" with an arsenic content of 0.3% has an increased corrosion stability in certain environments.
Gallium arsenide is an important
semiconductor
A semiconductor is a material which has an electrical conductivity value falling between that of a conductor, such as copper, and an insulator, such as glass. Its resistivity falls as its temperature rises; metals behave in the opposite way ...
material, used in
integrated circuits. Circuits made from GaAs are much faster (but also much more expensive) than those made from
silicon
Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. It is a hard, brittle crystalline solid with a blue-grey metallic luster, and is a tetravalent metalloid and semiconductor. It is a member of group 14 in the periodic ...
. Unlike silicon, GaAs has a
direct bandgap, and can be used in
laser diode
The laser diode chip removed and placed on the eye of a needle for scale
A laser diode (LD, also injection laser diode or ILD, or diode laser) is a semiconductor device similar to a light-emitting diode in which a diode pumped directly with ...
s and
LEDs to convert
electrical energy directly into
light
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 t ...
.
Military
After
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, the United States built a stockpile of 20,000 tons of
weaponized lewisite (ClCH=CHAsCl
2), an
organoarsenic
Organoarsenic chemistry is the chemistry of compounds containing a chemical bond between arsenic and carbon. A few organoarsenic compounds, also called "organoarsenicals," are produced industrially with uses as insecticides, herbicides, and ...
vesicant
A blister agent (or vesicant), is a chemical compound that causes severe skin, eye and mucosal pain and irritation. They are named for their ability to cause severe chemical burns, resulting in painful water blisters on the bodies of those affec ...
(blister agent) and
lung irritant. The stockpile was neutralized with bleach and dumped into the
Gulf of Mexico in the 1950s. During the
Vietnam War, the United States used
Agent Blue, a mixture of
sodium cacodylate and its acid form, as one of the
rainbow herbicides
The Rainbow Herbicides are a group of tactical-use chemicals used by the United States military in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Success with Project AGILE field tests with herbicides in South Vietnam in 1961 and inspiration by the Briti ...
to deprive North Vietnamese soldiers of foliage cover and rice.
Other uses
* Copper acetoarsenite was used as a green
pigment known under many names, including
Paris Green and Emerald Green. It caused numerous
arsenic poisonings.
Scheele's Green, a copper arsenate, was used in the 19th century as a
coloring agent in
sweets.
* Arsenic is used in
bronzing and
pyrotechnics.
* As much as 2% of produced arsenic is used in lead alloys for
lead shot and
bullets.
* Arsenic is added in small quantities to alpha-brass to make it
dezincification-resistant. This grade of brass is used in plumbing fittings and other wet environments.
* Arsenic is also used for taxonomic sample preservation. It was also used in embalming fluids historically.
* Arsenic was used as an opacifier in ceramics, creating white glazes.
* Until recently, arsenic was used in optical glass. Modern glass manufacturers, under pressure from environmentalists, have ceased using both arsenic and
lead.
* In
computer
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations ( computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as programs. These prog ...
s; arsenic is used in the
chips as the n-type doping
Biological role
Bacteria
Some species of
bacteria obtain their energy in the absence of oxygen by
oxidizing various fuels while
reducing arsenate to arsenite. Under oxidative environmental conditions some bacteria use arsenite as fuel, which they oxidize to arsenate. The
enzyme
Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products ...
s involved are known as
arsenate reductases (Arr).
In 2008, bacteria were discovered that employ a version of
photosynthesis in the absence of oxygen with arsenites as
electron donors, producing arsenates (just as ordinary photosynthesis uses water as electron donor, producing molecular oxygen). Researchers conjecture that, over the course of history, these photosynthesizing organisms produced the arsenates that allowed the arsenate-reducing bacteria to thrive. One
strain PHS-1 has been isolated and is related to the
gammaproteobacterium
Gammaproteobacteria is a class of bacteria in the phylum Pseudomonadota (synonym Proteobacteria). It contains about 250 genera, which makes it the most genera-rich taxon of the Prokaryotes. Several medically, ecologically, and scientifically imp ...
''
Ectothiorhodospira shaposhnikovii''. The mechanism is unknown, but an encoded Arr enzyme may function in reverse to its known
homologues.
In 2011, it was postulated that a strain of ''
Halomonadaceae'' could be grown in the absence of phosphorus if that element were substituted with arsenic, exploiting the fact that the
arsenate and
phosphate anions are similar structurally. The study was widely criticised and subsequently refuted by independent researcher groups.
Essential trace element in higher animals
Some evidence indicates that arsenic is an essential trace mineral in birds (chickens), and in mammals (rats, hamsters, and goats). However, the
biological function is not known.
Heredity
Arsenic has been linked to
epigenetic changes, heritable changes in gene expression that occur without changes in
DNA sequence. These include DNA methylation, histone modification, and
RNA interference. Toxic levels of arsenic cause significant DNA hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes
p16 and
p53, thus increasing risk of
carcinogenesis
Carcinogenesis, also called oncogenesis or tumorigenesis, is the formation of a cancer, whereby normal cells are transformed into cancer cells. The process is characterized by changes at the cellular, genetic, and epigenetic levels and abnor ...
. These epigenetic events have been studied ''in vitro'' using human
kidney
The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; blo ...
cells and ''in vivo'' using rat
liver
The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it i ...
cells and peripheral blood
leukocytes
White blood cells, also called leukocytes or leucocytes, are the cells of the immune system that are involved in protecting the body against both infectious disease and foreign invaders. All white blood cells are produced and derived from mu ...
in humans.
Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is used to detect precise levels of intracellular arsenic and other arsenic bases involved in epigenetic modification of DNA. Studies investigating arsenic as an epigenetic factor can be used to develop precise biomarkers of exposure and susceptibility.
The Chinese brake fern (''
Pteris vittata
''Pteris vittata'', commonly known variously as the Chinese brake, Chinese ladder brake, or simply ladder brake, is a fern species in the Pteridoideae subfamily of the Pteridaceae. It is indigenous to Asia, southern Europe, tropical Africa and ...
'') hyperaccumulates arsenic from the soil into its leaves and has a proposed use in
phytoremediation.
Biomethylation
Inorganic arsenic and its compounds, upon entering the
food chain, are progressively metabolized through a process of
methylation.
For example, the mold ''
Scopulariopsis brevicaulis'' produces
trimethylarsine if inorganic arsenic is present. The organic compound
arsenobetaine
Arsenobetaine is an organoarsenic compound that is the main source of arsenic found in fish. It is the arsenic analog of trimethylglycine, commonly known as betaine. The biochemistry and its biosynthesis are similar to those of choline and betaine ...
is found in some marine foods such as fish and algae, and also in mushrooms in larger concentrations. The average person's intake is about 10–50 µg/day. Values about 1000 µg are not unusual following consumption of fish or mushrooms, but there is little danger in eating fish because this arsenic compound is nearly non-toxic.
Environmental issues
Exposure
Naturally occurring sources of human exposure include
volcanic ash, weathering of minerals and ores, and mineralized groundwater. Arsenic is also found in food, water, soil, and air. Arsenic is absorbed by all plants, but is more concentrated in leafy vegetables, rice, apple and grape juice, and seafood. An additional route of exposure is inhalation of atmospheric gases and dusts.
[Arsenic](_blank)
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (2009).
During the
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwa ...
, arsenic was widely used in home decor, especially wallpapers.
Occurrence in drinking water
Extensive arsenic contamination of groundwater has led to widespread
arsenic poisoning in
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mo ...
and neighboring countries. It is estimated that approximately 57 million people in the Bengal basin are drinking
groundwater
Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and Pore space in soil, soil pore spaces and in the fractures of stratum, rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit ...
with arsenic concentrations elevated above the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...
's standard of 10
parts per billion
In science and engineering, the parts-per notation is a set of pseudo-units to describe small values of miscellaneous dimensionless quantities, e.g. mole fraction or mass fraction. Since these fractions are quantity-per-quantity measures, th ...
(ppb). However, a study of cancer rates in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...
suggested that significant increases in cancer mortality appear only at levels above 150 ppb. The arsenic in the groundwater is of natural origin, and is released from the sediment into the groundwater, caused by the
anoxic conditions of the subsurface. This groundwater was used after local and western
NGOs and the Bangladeshi government undertook a massive shallow tube
well drinking-water program in the late twentieth century. This program was designed to prevent drinking of bacteria-contaminated surface waters, but failed to test for arsenic in the groundwater. Many other countries and districts in
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...
, such as
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...
and
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand ...
, have geological environments that produce groundwater with a high arsenic content.
Arsenicosis was reported in
Nakhon Si Thammarat,
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
in 1987, and the
Chao Phraya River probably contains high levels of naturally occurring dissolved arsenic without being a public health problem because much of the public uses
bottled water. In Pakistan, more than 60 million people are exposed to arsenic polluted drinking water indicated by a recent report of
Science
Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence ...
. Podgorski's team investigated more than 1200 samples and more than 66% exceeded the WHO minimum contamination level.
Since the 1980s, residents of the Ba Men region of Inner Mongolia, China have been chronically exposed to arsenic through drinking water from contaminated wells.
A 2009 research study observed an elevated presence of skin lesions among residents with well water arsenic concentrations between 5 and 10 µg/L, suggesting that arsenic induced toxicity may occur at relatively low concentrations with chronic exposure.
Overall, 20 of China's 34 provinces have high arsenic concentrations in the groundwater supply, potentially exposing 19 million people to hazardous drinking water.
In the United States, arsenic is most commonly found in the ground waters of the southwest.
Parts of
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
,
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...
,
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
,
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...
and the Dakotas are also known to have significant concentrations of arsenic in ground water. Increased levels of skin cancer have been associated with arsenic exposure in Wisconsin, even at levels below the 10 part per billion drinking water standard. According to a recent film funded by the US
Superfund, millions of private wells have unknown arsenic levels, and in some areas of the US, more than 20% of the wells may contain levels that exceed established limits.
Low-level exposure to arsenic at concentrations of 100 parts per billion (i.e., above the 10 parts per billion drinking water standard) compromises the initial immune response to
H1N1 or swine flu infection according to NIEHS-supported scientists. The study, conducted in laboratory mice, suggests that people exposed to arsenic in their drinking water may be at increased risk for more serious illness or death from the virus.
Some Canadians are drinking water that contains inorganic arsenic. Private-dug–well waters are most at risk for containing inorganic arsenic. Preliminary well water analysis typically does not test for arsenic. Researchers at the Geological Survey of Canada have modeled relative variation in natural arsenic hazard potential for the province of New Brunswick. This study has important implications for potable water and health concerns relating to inorganic arsenic.
Epidemiological evidence from
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...
shows a dose-dependent connection between chronic arsenic exposure and various forms of cancer, in particular when other risk factors, such as cigarette smoking, are present. These effects have been demonstrated at contaminations less than 50 ppb. Arsenic is itself a constituent of
tobacco smoke.
Analyzing multiple epidemiological studies on inorganic arsenic exposure suggests a small but measurable increase in risk for bladder cancer at 10 ppb. According to Peter Ravenscroft of the Department of Geography at the University of Cambridge, roughly 80 million people worldwide consume between 10 and 50 ppb arsenic in their drinking water. If they all consumed exactly 10 ppb arsenic in their drinking water, the previously cited multiple epidemiological study analysis would predict an additional 2,000 cases of bladder cancer alone. This represents a clear underestimate of the overall impact, since it does not include lung or skin cancer, and explicitly underestimates the exposure. Those exposed to levels of arsenic above the current WHO standard should weigh the costs and benefits of arsenic remediation.
Early (1973) evaluations of the processes for removing dissolved arsenic from drinking water demonstrated the efficacy of co-precipitation with either iron or aluminum oxides. In particular, iron as a coagulant was found to remove arsenic with an efficacy exceeding 90%. Several adsorptive media systems have been approved for use at point-of-service in a study funded by the
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it ...
(US EPA) and the
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...
(NSF). A team of European and Indian scientists and engineers have set up six arsenic treatment plants in
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...
based on in-situ remediation method (SAR Technology). This technology does not use any chemicals and arsenic is left in an insoluble form (+5 state) in the subterranean zone by recharging aerated water into the aquifer and developing an oxidation zone that supports arsenic oxidizing micro-organisms. This process does not produce any waste stream or sludge and is relatively cheap.
Another effective and inexpensive method to avoid arsenic contamination is to sink wells 500 feet or deeper to reach purer waters. A recent 2011 study funded by the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences' Superfund Research Program shows that deep sediments can remove arsenic and take it out of circulation. In this process, called ''adsorption'', arsenic sticks to the surfaces of deep sediment particles and is naturally removed from the ground water.
Magnetic separations of arsenic at very low magnetic field
gradient
In vector calculus, the gradient of a scalar-valued differentiable function of several variables is the vector field (or vector-valued function) \nabla f whose value at a point p is the "direction and rate of fastest increase". If the gr ...
s with high-surface-area and
monodisperse magnetite (Fe
3O
4)
nanocrystals have been demonstrated in point-of-use water purification. Using the high specific surface area of Fe
3O
4 nanocrystals, the mass of waste associated with arsenic removal from water has been dramatically reduced.
Epidemiological studies have suggested a correlation between chronic consumption of drinking water contaminated with arsenic and the incidence of all leading causes of mortality. The literature indicates that arsenic exposure is causative in the pathogenesis of diabetes.
Chaff-based filters have recently been shown to reduce the arsenic content of water to 3 µg/L. This may find applications in areas where the potable water is extracted from underground
aquifer
An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing, permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials ( gravel, sand, or silt). Groundwater from aquifers can be extracted using a water well. Aquifers vary greatly in their characte ...
s.
San Pedro de Atacama
For several centuries, the people of
San Pedro de Atacama in
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...
have been drinking water that is contaminated with arsenic, and some evidence suggests they have developed some immunity.
Hazard maps for contaminated groundwater
Around one-third of the world's population drinks water from groundwater resources. Of this, about 10 percent, approximately 300 million people, obtains water from groundwater resources that are contaminated with unhealthy levels of arsenic or fluoride. These trace elements derive mainly from minerals and ions in the ground.
Redox transformation of arsenic in natural waters
Arsenic is unique among the trace
metalloids and oxyanion-forming trace metals (e.g. As, Se, Sb, Mo, V, Cr, U, Re). It is sensitive to mobilization at pH values typical of natural waters (pH 6.5–8.5) under both oxidizing and reducing conditions. Arsenic can occur in the environment in several oxidation states (−3, 0, +3 and +5), but in natural waters it is mostly found in inorganic forms as oxyanions of trivalent arsenite
s(III)
S, or s, is the nineteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''.
Histor ...
or pentavalent arsenate
s(V)
S, or s, is the nineteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''.
History ...
Organic forms of arsenic are produced by biological activity, mostly in surface waters, but are rarely quantitatively important. Organic arsenic compounds may, however, occur where waters are significantly impacted by industrial pollution.
Arsenic may be solubilized by various processes. When pH is high, arsenic may be released from surface binding sites that lose their positive charge. When water level drops and
sulfide minerals are exposed to air, arsenic trapped in sulfide minerals can be released into water. When organic carbon is present in water, bacteria are fed by directly reducing As(V) to As(III) or by reducing the element at the binding site, releasing inorganic arsenic.
The aquatic transformations of arsenic are affected by pH, reduction-oxidation potential, organic matter concentration and the concentrations and forms of other elements, especially iron and manganese. The main factors are pH and the redox potential. Generally, the main forms of arsenic under oxic conditions are H
3AsO
4, H
2AsO
4−, HAsO
42−, and AsO
43− at pH 2, 2–7, 7–11 and 11, respectively. Under reducing conditions, H
3AsO
4 is predominant at pH 2–9.
Oxidation and reduction affects the migration of arsenic in subsurface environments. Arsenite is the most stable soluble form of arsenic in reducing environments and arsenate, which is less mobile than arsenite, is dominant in oxidizing environments at neutral
pH. Therefore, arsenic may be more mobile under reducing conditions. The reducing environment is also rich in organic matter which may enhance the solubility of arsenic compounds. As a result, the
adsorption
Adsorption is the adhesion of atoms, ions or molecules from a gas, liquid or dissolved solid to a surface. This process creates a film of the ''adsorbate'' on the surface of the ''adsorbent''. This process differs from absorption, in which a ...
of arsenic is reduced and dissolved arsenic accumulates in groundwater. That is why the arsenic content is higher in reducing environments than in oxidizing environments.
The presence of sulfur is another factor that affects the transformation of arsenic in natural water. Arsenic can
precipitate when metal sulfides form. In this way, arsenic is removed from the water and its mobility decreases. When oxygen is present, bacteria oxidize reduced sulfur to generate energy, potentially releasing bound arsenic.
Redox reactions involving Fe also appear to be essential factors in the fate of arsenic in aquatic systems. The reduction of iron oxyhydroxides plays a key role in the release of arsenic to water. So arsenic can be enriched in water with elevated Fe concentrations. Under oxidizing conditions, arsenic can be mobilized from
pyrite or iron oxides especially at elevated pH. Under reducing conditions, arsenic can be mobilized by reductive desorption or dissolution when associated with iron oxides. The reductive desorption occurs under two circumstances. One is when arsenate is reduced to arsenite which adsorbs to iron oxides less strongly. The other results from a change in the charge on the mineral surface which leads to the desorption of bound arsenic.
Some species of bacteria catalyze redox transformations of arsenic. Dissimilatory arsenate-respiring prokaryotes (DARP) speed up the reduction of As(V) to As(III). DARP use As(V) as the electron acceptor of anaerobic respiration and obtain energy to survive. Other organic and inorganic substances can be oxidized in this process.
Chemoautotrophic
A Chemotroph is an organism that obtains energy by the oxidation of electron donors in their environments. These molecules can be organic ( chemoorganotrophs) or inorganic (chemolithotrophs). The chemotroph designation is in contrast to phototro ...
arsenite oxidizers (CAO) and
heterotrophic arsenite oxidizers (HAO) convert As(III) into As(V). CAO combine the oxidation of As(III) with the reduction of oxygen or nitrate. They use obtained energy to fix produce organic carbon from CO
2. HAO cannot obtain energy from As(III) oxidation. This process may be an arsenic
detoxification
Detoxification or detoxication (detox for short) is the physiological or medicinal removal of toxic substances from a living organism, including the human body, which is mainly carried out by the liver. Additionally, it can refer to the period of ...
mechanism for the bacteria.
Equilibrium thermodynamic calculations predict that As(V) concentrations should be greater than As(III) concentrations in all but strongly reducing conditions, i.e. where SO
42− reduction is occurring. However, abiotic redox reactions of arsenic are slow. Oxidation of As(III) by dissolved O
2 is a particularly slow reaction. For example, Johnson and Pilson (1975) gave
half-lives
Half-life (symbol ) is the time required for a quantity (of substance) to reduce to half of its initial value. The term is commonly used in nuclear physics to describe how quickly unstable atoms undergo radioactive decay or how long stable ato ...
for the oxygenation of As(III) in seawater ranging from several months to a year. In other studies, As(V)/As(III) ratios were stable over periods of days or weeks during water sampling when no particular care was taken to prevent oxidation, again suggesting relatively slow oxidation rates. Cherry found from experimental studies that the As(V)/As(III) ratios were stable in anoxic solutions for up to 3 weeks but that gradual changes occurred over longer timescales. Sterile water samples have been observed to be less susceptible to speciation changes than non-sterile samples. Oremland found that the reduction of As(V) to As(III) in Mono Lake was rapidly catalyzed by bacteria with rate constants ranging from 0.02 to 0.3-day
−1.
Wood preservation in the US
As of 2002, US-based industries consumed 19,600 metric tons of arsenic. Ninety percent of this was used for treatment of wood with
chromated copper arsenate Chromated copper arsenate (CCA) is a wood preservative containing compounds of chromium, copper, and arsenic, in various proportions. It is used to impregnate timber and other wood products, especially those intended for outdoor use, in order to p ...
(CCA). In 2007, 50% of the 5,280 metric tons of consumption was still used for this purpose.
In the United States, the voluntary phasing-out of arsenic in production of consumer products and residential and general consumer construction products began on 31 December 2003, and alternative chemicals are now used, such as
Alkaline Copper Quaternary,
borates,
copper azole,
cyproconazole, and
propiconazole.
Although discontinued, this application is also one of the most concerning to the general public. The vast majority of older
pressure-treated wood was treated with CCA. CCA lumber is still in widespread use in many countries, and was heavily used during the latter half of the 20th century as a structural and outdoor
building material. Although the use of CCA lumber was banned in many areas after studies showed that arsenic could leach out of the wood into the surrounding
soil (from playground equipment, for instance), a risk is also presented by the burning of older CCA timber. The direct or indirect ingestion of wood ash from burnt CCA lumber has caused fatalities in animals and serious poisonings in humans; the lethal human dose is approximately 20 grams of ash. Scrap CCA lumber from construction and demolition sites may be inadvertently used in commercial and domestic fires. Protocols for safe disposal of CCA lumber are not consistent throughout the world. Widespread
landfill disposal of such timber raises some concern, but other studies have shown no arsenic contamination in the groundwater.
Mapping of industrial releases in the US
One tool that maps the location (and other information) of arsenic releases in the United States is
TOXMAP. TOXMAP is a Geographic Information System (GIS) from the Division of Specialized Information Services of the
United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) funded by the US Federal Government. With marked-up maps of the United States, TOXMAP enables users to visually explore data from the
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it ...
's (EPA)
Toxics Release Inventory
The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) is a publicly available database containing information on toxic chemical releases and other waste management activities in the United States.
Summary of requirements
The database is available from the Unite ...
and
Superfund Basic Research Programs. TOXMAP's chemical and environmental health information is taken from NLM's Toxicology Data Network (TOXNET),
PubMed
PubMed is a free search engine accessing primarily the MEDLINE database of references and abstracts on life sciences and biomedical topics. The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institutes of Health maintai ...
, and from other authoritative sources.
Bioremediation
Physical, chemical, and biological methods have been used to remediate arsenic contaminated water.
Bioremediation is said to be cost-effective and environmentally friendly. Bioremediation of ground water contaminated with arsenic aims to convert arsenite, the toxic form of arsenic to humans, to arsenate. Arsenate (+5 oxidation state) is the dominant form of arsenic in surface water, while arsenite (+3 oxidation state) is the dominant form in hypoxic to anoxic environments. Arsenite is more soluble and mobile than arsenate. Many species of bacteria can transform arsenite to arsenate in anoxic conditions by using arsenite as an electron donor. This is a useful method in ground water remediation. Another bioremediation strategy is to use plants that accumulate arsenic in their tissues via
phytoremediation but the disposal of contaminated plant material needs to be considered.
Bioremediation requires careful evaluation and design in accordance with existing conditions. Some sites may require the addition of an electron acceptor while others require microbe supplementation (
bioaugmentation
Biological augmentation is the addition of archaea or bacterial cultures required to speed up the rate of degradation of a contaminant. Organisms that originate from contaminated areas may already be able to break down waste, but perhaps inefficie ...
). Regardless of the method used, only constant monitoring can prevent future contamination.
Toxicity and precautions
Arsenic and many of its compounds are especially potent poisons. Small amount of arsenic can be detected by pharmacopoial methods which includes reduction of arsenic to arsenious with help of zinc and can be confirmed with mercuric chloride paper.
Classification
Elemental arsenic and arsenic sulfate and trioxide compounds are classified as "
toxic
Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a sub ...
" and "dangerous for the environment" in the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...
under
directive 67/548/EEC
The Dangerous Substances Directive (as amended) was one of the main European Union laws concerning chemical safety, until its full replacement by the new regulation CLP Regulation (2008), starting in 2016. It was made under Article 100 (Art. 94 i ...
.
The
International Agency for Research on Cancer
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC; french: Centre International de Recherche sur le Cancer, CIRC) is an intergovernmental agency forming part of the World Health Organization of the United Nations.
Its role is to conduct and ...
(IARC) recognizes arsenic and inorganic arsenic compounds as
group 1 carcinogens, and the EU lists arsenic trioxide,
arsenic pentoxide, and
arsenate salts as category 1
carcinogen
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that promotes carcinogenesis (the formation of cancer). This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes. Several radioactive sub ...
s.
Arsenic is known to cause
arsenicosis when present in drinking water, "the most common species being arsenate
As(V)and arsenite
As(III).
Legal limits, food, and drink
In the United States since 2006, the maximum concentration in drinking water allowed by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is 10 ppb and the FDA set the same standard in 2005 for bottled water.
The Department of Environmental Protection for New Jersey set a drinking water limit of 5 ppb in 2006. The
IDLH
The term immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) is defined by the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) as exposure to airborne contaminants that is "likely to cause death or immediate or delayed permanent advers ...
(immediately dangerous to life and health) value for arsenic metal and inorganic arsenic compounds is 5 mg/m
3 (5 ppb). The
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration'' (OSHA ) is a large regulatory agency of the United States Department of Labor that originally had federal visitorial powers to inspect and examine workplaces. Congress established the agen ...
has set the
permissible exposure limit
The permissible exposure limit (PEL or OSHA PEL) is a legal limit in the United States for exposure of an employee to a chemical substance or physical agent such as high level noise. Permissible exposure limits are established by the Occupationa ...
(PEL) to a time-weighted average (TWA) of 0.01 mg/m
3 (0.01 ppb), and the
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has set the
recommended exposure limit (REL) to a 15-minute constant exposure of 0.002 mg/m
3 (0.002 ppb).
The PEL for organic arsenic compounds is a TWA of 0.5 mg/m
3. (0.5 ppb).
In 2008, based on its ongoing testing of a wide variety of American foods for toxic chemicals, the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration set the "level of concern" for inorganic arsenic in apple and pear juices at 23 ppb, based on non-carcinogenic effects, and began blocking importation of products in excess of this level; it also required recalls for non-conforming domestic products.
In 2011, the national ''
Dr. Oz
Mehmet Cengiz Öz (; born June 11, 1960), known professionally as Dr. Oz (), is an Turkish American former professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Columbia University, television presenter, author and former political candidate.
The son of Tur ...
'' television show broadcast a program highlighting tests performed by an independent lab hired by the producers. Though the methodology was disputed (it did not distinguish between organic and inorganic arsenic) the tests showed levels of arsenic up to 36 ppb. In response, FDA tested the worst brand from the ''Dr.'' ''Oz'' show and found much lower levels. Ongoing testing found 95% of the apple juice samples were below the level of concern. Later testing by
Consumer Reports showed inorganic arsenic at levels slightly above 10 ppb, and the organization urged parents to reduce consumption. In July 2013, on consideration of consumption by children, chronic exposure, and carcinogenic effect, the FDA established an "action level" of 10 ppb for apple juice, the same as the drinking water standard.
Concern about arsenic in rice in Bangladesh was raised in 2002, but at the time only Australia had a legal limit for food (one milligram per kilogram). Concern was raised about people who were eating U.S. rice exceeding WHO standards for personal arsenic intake in 2005. In 2011, the People's Republic of China set a food standard of 150 ppb for arsenic.
In the United States in 2012, testing by separate groups of researchers at the Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center at
Dartmouth College (early in the year, focusing on urinary levels in children) and
Consumer Reports (in November)
found levels of arsenic in rice that resulted in calls for the FDA to set limits.
[Lawmakers Urge FDA to Act on Arsenic Standards](_blank)
Foodsafetynews.com (24 February 2012). Retrieved 2012-05-23. The FDA released some testing results in September 2012, and as of July 2013, is still collecting data in support of a new potential regulation. It has not recommended any changes in consumer behavior.
Consumer Reports recommended:
# That the EPA and FDA eliminate arsenic-containing fertilizer, drugs, and pesticides in food production;
# That the FDA establish a legal limit for food;
# That industry change production practices to lower arsenic levels, especially in food for children; and
# That consumers test home water supplies, eat a varied diet, and cook rice with excess water, then draining it off (reducing inorganic arsenic by about one third along with a slight reduction in vitamin content).
# Evidence-based public health advocates also recommend that, given the lack of regulation or labeling for arsenic in the U.S., children should eat no more than 1.5 servings per week of rice and should not drink rice milk as part of their daily diet before age 5.
They also offer recommendations for adults and infants on how to limit arsenic exposure from rice, drinking water, and fruit juice.
A 2014
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...
advisory conference was scheduled to consider limits of 200–300 ppb for rice.
Reducing arsenic content in rice
In 2020, scientists assessed multiple preparation procedures of
rice for their capacity to reduce arsenic content and preserve nutrients, recommending a procedure involving
parboiling and water-absorption.
Occupational exposure limits
Ecotoxicity
Arsenic is
bioaccumulative in many organisms, marine species in particular, but it does not appear to biomagnify significantly in food webs. In polluted areas, plant growth may be affected by root uptake of arsenate, which is a phosphate analog and therefore readily transported in plant tissues and cells. In polluted areas, uptake of the more toxic arsenite ion (found more particularly in reducing conditions) is likely in poorly-drained soils.
Toxicity in animals
Biological mechanism
Arsenic's toxicity comes from the affinity of arsenic(III) oxides for
thiols. Thiols, in the form of
cysteine residues and
cofactors
Cofactor may also refer to:
* Cofactor (biochemistry), a substance that needs to be present in addition to an enzyme for a certain reaction to be catalysed
* A domain parameter in elliptic curve cryptography, defined as the ratio between the order ...
such as
lipoic acid and
coenzyme A, are situated at the active sites of many important
enzyme
Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products ...
s.
Arsenic disrupts
ATP production through several mechanisms. At the level of the
citric acid cycle
The citric acid cycle (CAC)—also known as the Krebs cycle or the TCA cycle (tricarboxylic acid cycle)—is a series of chemical reactions to release stored energy through the oxidation of acetyl-CoA derived from carbohydrates, fats, and prot ...
, arsenic inhibits
lipoic acid, which is a cofactor for
pyruvate dehydrogenase. By competing with phosphate, arsenate uncouples
oxidative phosphorylation, thus inhibiting energy-linked reduction of
NAD+, mitochondrial respiration and ATP synthesis. Hydrogen peroxide production is also increased, which, it is speculated, has potential to form reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress. These metabolic interferences lead to death from multi-system
organ failure. The organ failure is presumed to be from
necrotic cell death, not
apoptosis, since energy reserves have been too depleted for apoptosis to occur.
Exposure risks and remediation
Occupational exposure and
arsenic poisoning may occur in persons working in industries involving the use of inorganic arsenic and its compounds, such as wood preservation, glass production, nonferrous metal alloys, and electronic semiconductor manufacturing. Inorganic arsenic is also found in coke oven emissions associated with the smelter industry.
The conversion between As(III) and As(V) is a large factor in arsenic environmental contamination. According to Croal, Gralnick, Malasarn and Newman, "
heunderstanding
fwhat stimulates As(III) oxidation and/or limits As(V) reduction is relevant for
bioremediation of contaminated sites (Croal). The study of chemolithoautotrophic As(III) oxidizers and the heterotrophic As(V) reducers can help the understanding of the oxidation and/or reduction of arsenic.
Treatment
Treatment of chronic arsenic poisoning is possible. British anti-lewisite (
dimercaprol
Dimercaprol, also called British anti-Lewisite (BAL), is a medication used to treat acute poisoning by arsenic, mercury, gold, and lead. It may also be used for antimony, thallium, or bismuth poisoning, although the evidence for those uses is ...
) is prescribed in doses of 5 mg/kg up to 300 mg every 4 hours for the first day, then every 6 hours for the second day, and finally every 8 hours for 8 additional days. However the USA's
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is a federal public health agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The agency focuses on minimizing human health risks associated with exposure to haz ...
(ATSDR) states that the long-term effects of arsenic exposure cannot be predicted.
Blood, urine, hair, and nails may be tested for arsenic; however, these tests cannot foresee possible health outcomes from the exposure.
Long-term exposure and consequent excretion through urine has been linked to
bladder
The urinary bladder, or simply bladder, is a hollow organ in humans and other vertebrates that stores urine from the kidneys before disposal by urination. In humans the bladder is a distensible organ that sits on the pelvic floor. Urine en ...
and
kidney cancer in addition to cancer of the liver, prostate, skin, lungs, and
nasal cavity
The nasal cavity is a large, air-filled space above and behind the nose in the middle of the face. The nasal septum divides the cavity into two cavities, also known as fossae. Each cavity is the continuation of one of the two nostrils. The nasal ...
.
The Tox Guide for Arsenic
(2007). The US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
See also
* Aqua Tofana
* '' Arsenic and Old Lace''
* Arsenic biochemistry
* Arsenic compounds
Compounds of arsenic resemble in some respects those of phosphorus which occupies the same group (column) of the periodic table. The most common oxidation states for arsenic are: −3 in the arsenides, which are alloy-like intermetallic compoun ...
* Arsenic poisoning
* Arsenic toxicity
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As and atomic number 33. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in combination with sulfur and metals, but also as a pure elemental crystal. Arsenic is a metalloid. It has various allotropes, but ...
* Arsenic trioxide
* Fowler's solution
* GFAJ-1
* Grainger challenge
* Hypothetical types of biochemistry
* Organoarsenic chemistry
* Toxic heavy metal
* White arsenic
Arsenic trioxide, sold under the brand name Trisenox among others, is an inorganic compound and medication. As an industrial chemical, whose major uses include in the manufacture of wood preservatives, pesticides, and glass. As a medication, it ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
Further reading
*
External links
Arsenic
Cancer Causing Substances, U.S. National Cancer Institute.
CTD's Arsenic page
an
CTD's Arsenicals page
from the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database
Arsenic intoxication: general aspects and chelating agents
b
Geir Bjørklund
Massimiliano Peana
et al. Archives of Toxicology (2020) 94:1879–1897.
A Small Dose of Toxicology
Book on arsenic in groundwater by IAH's Netherlands Chapter and the Netherlands Hydrological Society
Contaminant Focus: Arsenic
by the EPA
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...
.
Environmental Health Criteria for Arsenic and Arsenic Compounds, 2001
by the WHO.
*
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health – Arsenic Page
at '' The Periodic Table of Videos'' (University of Nottingham)
{{Authority control
Chemical elements
Metalloids
Hepatotoxins
Pnictogens
Endocrine disruptors
IARC Group 1 carcinogens
Trigonal minerals
Minerals in space group 166
Teratogens
Fetotoxicants
Suspected testicular toxicants
Native element minerals
Chemical elements with rhombohedral structure