Beyond the Classroom Arsenic

The principal use of elemental arsenic is in its alloys with lead. 

The lead storage battery contains a trace of arsenic along with 3% antimony. Lead shot, which are formed by allowing drops of molten lead to fall through the air, contains from 0,5 to 2,0% arsenic. The presence of arsenic raises the surface tension of the liquid and hence makes the shot more spherical, 

In the early years of the twentieth century, several thousand organic compounds were synthesized and tested for medicinal use, mainly in the treatment of syphilis, One of these compounds, sal-varsan, was found to be very effective, Arsenic compounds fell out 

Industry and farming have used arsenic compounds. However, because of its great toxicity and ability to leach into wells and streams, its is no longer produced in the United States, but it is still imported from other countries. Until the 1940s, arsenic compounds were used as agricultural pesticides. Today, most uses of arsenic in farming are banned in the United States, and its use as a preservative in pressure-treated wood has been greatly reduced, 

The arsenic poison referred to in crime dramas is actually an oxide of arsenic rather than the element itself. Less than 0.1 g of this white, slightly soluble powder can be fatal. The classic symptoms of arsenic poisoning involve various unpleasant gastrointestinal disturbances, severe abdominal pain, and burning of the mouth and throat. 

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