Arsenic trichloride
Description
A yellow, oily liquid that produces poisonous fumes. Arsenic trichloride was, at one time, used as an Insecticide on some ethnographic objects. (Goldberg, 1996).
Synonyms and Related Terms
butter of arsenic; fuming liquid arsenic; arsenic chloride; arsenious chloride; arsenous chloride; caustic arsenic chloride
Other Properties
Soluble in hydrochloric acid and most organic solvents. Decomposed by water.
| Composition | AsCl3 |
|---|---|
| CAS | 7784-34-1 |
| Melting Point | -18 |
| Density | 2.163 |
| Molecular Weight | mol. wt. = 181.2 |
| Boiling Point | 130.5 |
Hazards and Safety
Highly toxic by ingestion and inhalation. Carcinogen and mutagen. Strongly irritating to skin.
International Chemical Safety Card
Additional Information
° L. Goldberg, A History Of Pest Control Measures In The Anthropology Collections, National Museum Of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, JAIC (35):23-43, 1996
Authority
- Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993
- Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997
- The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: entry 841