Disodium methyl arsonate (DSMA) is the
organoarsenic compound
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 fu ...
with the formula CH3AsO3Na2. It is a colorless, water-soluble solid derived from
methanearsonic acid
Methylarsonic acid is an organoarsenic compound with the formula CH3AsO3H2. It is a colorless, water-soluble solid. Salts of this compound, e.g. disodium methyl arsonate, have been widely used in as herbicides and fungicides in growing cotton a ...
. It is used as a
herbicide.
Tradenames include Metharsinat, Arrhenal, Disomear, Metharsan, Stenosine, Tonarsan, Tonarsin, Arsinyl, Arsynal, and Diarsen.
The EPA states that all forms of arsenic are a serious risk to human health and the United States' Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 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 subs ...
.
The EPA states
that:
The EPA also states that, while contaminated soil poses a serious risk to health, arsenic frequently mobilizes from soils and other sources, ending up in water where it is even more of a toxicity issue.
See also
*
Cacodylic acid
Cacodylic acid is an organoarsenic compound with the formula (CH3)2 AsO2H. With the formula R2As(O)OH, it is the simplest of the arsinic acids. It is a colorless solid that is soluble in water.
Neutralization of cacodylic acid with base gives cac ...
*
Monosodium methyl arsenate
References
{{Herbicides
Arsenical herbicides
Sodium compounds
Organoarsenic compounds