Arsenic

Arsenic was widely known as a deadly poison for centuries, particularly among the wealthy and royalty. Over the years it has become known as the Poison of Kings, and the King of Poisons. The French tyrant Napoleon Bonaparte died of arsenic poisoning. For years people assumed his death was the result of murder. However, some chemists think the arsenic came from the wallpaper in the room in which he died. It contained a popular green pigment made from arsenic, called Scheele’s Green. Napoleon probably breathed in the arsenic for weeks before his death. Whether this is what killed him or not is still under discussion. Today, arsenic poisoning has become an issue in many areas of modern life. Students will discover the useful and important applications of arsenic in our world, including in the manufacture of medicines, pesticides, electrical circuitry, and glass, but they will also learn about the dangers of arsenic. The book explains arsenic’s place on the periodic table of elements, its atomic structure, its role as a nonmetal, and its use in compounds, such as arsenic oxides, hydrides, sulfides, and halides. The health effects of arsenic poisoning are also examined.