Monday, June 27, 2011

What is Arsenic


Arsenic is a chemical element, the symbol is As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass is 74.92. That occurs in many minerals, usually with sulfur and metals and also as a pure elemental crystal.
Arsenic is a metalloid. It can exist in various allotropes, although only the grey form has important use in industry.
The toxicity of arsenic to insects, bacteria and fungi led to its use as a wood preservative. In the 1950s a process of treating wood with chromate copper arsenate (also known as CCA or Tonality) was invented, and for decades this treatment was the most extensive industrial use of arsenic.

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