Arsenic: Inorganic ChemistryBased in part on the article Arsenic: Inorganic Chemistry by Ralph A. Zingaro which appeared in theEncyclopedia of Inorganic Chemistry, First Edition.

Abstract

This article reflects the importance and development of the chemistry of inorganic arsenic compounds. Throughout the text the reader will be taken from the chemistry of simple arsenic species found in minerals to such as those arsenic species that reflect the breath of modern inorganic chemistry. Efforts have been made to show developments in fundamental chemistry, materials science, and aspects of arsenic in the environment. Accordingly, Section 2 covers aspects of the preparation of simple arsenic species like the chalcogenides and halogenides. In Section 3 the important arsenic intermetallic and Zintl phases are discussed emphasizing important technological aspects. The chemistry of inorganic arsenic hydrides and halides is presented in Sections 4 and 5 with many important fundamental issues that are difficult to find in one single textbook. Inorganic simple arsenic compounds that bear pnictogen and/or chalcogen atoms are discussed in Sections 6 and 8. In these two sections the chemistry is presented starting from species that are found in minerals to complexes that have arsenic as the central atom introducing exciting discrete arsenic molecules and aspects of supramolecular chemistry. The chemistry of arsenic–carbon species where the carbon atom is strictly inorganic is shown in Section 7. Finally, Section 9 intends to give a brief introduction of the impact of arsenic in the environment, especially focusing on issues related to living organisms.