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Definition
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As on the periodic table along with nitrogen, phosphorus, antimony, and bismuth. The atomic number of arsenic is 33 and the relative atomic mass is 74.92. Naturally occurring arsenic is composed of one stable isotope, 75As. Many radioisotopes of arsenic have also been synthesized. Arsenic was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1,250. The term “arsenic” probably originates from the Persian word az-zarnikh or other modifications of its root word, “zar,” which refers to yellow or gold orpiment. Arsenic is ubiquitous in nature and ranks twentieth among the elements in abundance in the Earth’s crust, fourteenth in seawater, and twelfth in the human body (Jomova et al. 2011).
Arsenic Compounds
Arsenic is a metalloid element, meaning that it displays some properties of both a metal and a nonmetal. It is widely distributed in the biosphere with inorganic or organic forms. The most...
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References
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Chen, SJ., Yan, XJ., Chen, Z. (2013). Arsenic in Nature. In: Kretsinger, R.H., Uversky, V.N., Permyakov, E.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Metalloproteins. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1533-6_489
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