Blog

ChEBI ID. CHEBI:30621. Definition. An arsenic oxide in which arsenic and oxygen atoms are present in the ratio 2:3.Feb 22, 2017

The oxidation number of arsenic in diarsenic pentoxide is 5.

Arsenic trioxide is an amphoteric oxide, and its aqueous solutions are weakly acidic. Thus, it dissolves readily in alkaline solutions to give arsenites.

The LD50 for arsenic pentoxide is 8mg/kg for rats. When the substance becomes wet, it turns into arsenic acid, which corrodes metals.

Both inorganic and organic forms leave your body in your urine. Most of the inorganic arsenic will be gone within several days, although some will remain in your body for several months or even longer. If you are exposed to organic arsenic, most of it will leave your body within several days.

Breathing in high levels of arsenic can cause a sore throat and irritated lungs. Swallowing high levels of arsenic can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle weakness and cramping, skin rashes, and other problems. Exposure to high enough amounts of arsenic can be fatal.

If arsenic poisoning occurs over a brief period of time, symptoms may include vomiting, abdominal pain, encephalopathy, and watery diarrhea that contains blood. Long-term exposure can result in thickening of the skin, darker skin, abdominal pain, diarrhea, heart disease, numbness, and cancer.

For optimum arsenic removal, it is important that the iron and arsenic both be oxidized at the same time. To accomplish this, a chemical oxidant is needed because air oxidation will only oxidize Fe(II) and not As(III). Arsenic can be removed via two primary mechanisms: adsorption and coprecipitation.

Arsenic at an oxidation state of +3.